Heart-shaped box
by ThePurebloodPrincess2604
Summary: Severus Snape/OC. Sometimes, school sucks, even at a school like Hogwarts. Alistair Leroy can attest to that, being in a class of kids who are two years younger than her, including the Boy-Who-Lived. School drama, homework and a certain dark-haired, moody Professor only make it worse!
1. another brick in the wall

**A/N: Three years ago, I started writing fanfiction. One of my first, horrible attempts was a story involving a certain grumpy, dark-haired Professor. Finally, I can say that I've managed a story that I'm confident enough about to share it with the world xd Let me know what you think! **

_"We don't need no education_

_We don't need no thought control_

_No dark sarcasm in the classroom_

_Teachers leave them kids alone_

_Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone_

_All in all it's just another brick in the wall_

_All in all you're just another brick in the wall"_

_Pink Floyd - Another Brick In The Wall_

King's Cross Station is crowded, as usual. Everyone seems to be in a hurry, quickly walking past each other. I'm strolling somewhere amongst them, carrying a large travelling backpack. When I reach the brick wall in between platform 8 and 9, I take a moment to put my earphones and iPod away, looking around to check if there are any Muggles around who could see me. Since they're too busy minding their own business, as always, I walk straight through the wall, disappearing.

Platform 9 3/4 is packed with witches and wizards whom are saying goodbye to their children, most of them crying. For a moment, I'm happy my parents aren't here, although Mother would never cry in front of others. A bit nervous, although I'd never admit it to others, I make my way through the crowd and onto the Hogwarts Express. While admiring the black and red interior, I try to find a place to sit. I get a lot of curious stares, but ignore them, continuing to look. After a while, I let out a frustrated sigh, my quest for an empty seat rather unsuccessful.

As I enter another compartment, I run straight into someone. I let out a surprised yelp, losing my balance. Great, Ali, running into someone on your first day, great move. To my surprise, two hands prevent me from falling by grabbing my upper arms, and I find myself looking up at a white-haired boy with all too familiar, piercing blue eyes.

"Draco, hi! I didn't see you there, I'm sorry." I apologize, giving him a smile. I have to admit that I'm happy I ran into him out of all the people that were on this train.

"No problem, Ali. Are you okay?" He asks, giving me a quick once-over.

"I'm fine, no worries." I wave his worries away.

"Anyway, what are you doing here? I thought you were studying abroad?" Draco asks, surprised.

"I was, but Mother thought it was time I returned. She doesn't want me missing out on the 'Hogwarts experience'." I explain while rolling my eyes, making Draco laugh.

"I can imagine. Still, it must be strange to start here in your fourth year. Aren't you nervous?"

"Just a little, but I'll be fine." I admit. I know that Draco won't tell anyone. He remains silent for a moment, looking at me.

"Would you like to sit with us? There's plenty of room left with us anyway." Draco asks, shrugging casually.

"I'd love to, thanks." I answer, giving him a grateful smile. It was rather sweet of him to suggest, for I knew how important his reputation was to him and his family, as was who he was seen with. He had made the question sound casual, but it meant a lot more to him, so that was nice of him. As I follow him through the train, I can't help but feel glad that I at least know someone here. My Mother and Father both work at the Ministry of Magic, and my Dad often works together with Lucius Malfoy. They're friends, so ever since we were little kids, Draco and I would play when our parents brought us along to boring parties. It's been a while since I've seen him, though, with me studying abroad.

Draco enters a compartment, me still following him. I find two rather chubby boys and a dark haired, rather pretty boy with dark skin and dark hair.

"Guys, this is Alistair Leroy. Ali, these are Crabbe, Goyle and Blaise Zabini." Draco introduces us, making me shake hands with all three of them.

"How nice to have such a pretty human being in my presence." The dark-haired boy notes with a charming smile.

"The pleasure is all mine." I answer with a grin, causing Draco to scoff.

"Hey Draco, your Mommy is looking for you." Crabbe or Goyle says teasingly, making me roll my eyes at the comment. When I follow the boys' gazes, I find Lucius and Narcissa standing not too far away. At first, Narcissa notices Draco and waves at him, Draco waving back in embarrassment. When her eyes meet mine, I grin and wave at her, making her wave back with a smile. His Father gives Draco a stern look, making him drop his hand immediately, but gives me a smile and a nod of his head, making me smile back at him. Draco's parents were rather harsh on him, for they found it important to look good, but I could say the same about my Mother, so I didn't really mind, although it kind of sucked to be Draco in my opinion. Still, they'd always been kind to me, and I rather liked them as people. They were a lot less horrible, once you got to know them. It was a shame that not that many people got to see that side of them, but the same could be said about Draco. From a young age, we'd both been taught not to show our true feelings, and that being vulnerable was something that people would always take advantage of.

Soon enough, the train's whistle sounds, snapping me out of my thoughts. Then, we're leaving, waved off by all the parents who are still on the platform. The ride to Hogwarts is long, nothing really interesting happening. Mostly, Draco does the talking while we listen, but I don't mind, for I've gotten used to it over the years. I don't like Crabbe and Goyle much, for all they seem to be able to say are insults towards other people, especially Gryffindor's, but Blaise is rather nice, being very kind to me, and funny as well. When an elderly woman stops, pushing a trolley full of candy, all of us buy some, spending the rest of the train ride laughing, talking and eating. Halfway during the ride, I go to the bathrooms to change, rather happy that Draco told me to before I ended up being the only one in Muggle clothes. I'd been wearing ripped jeans, an oversized band shirt that I tied at the waist and a red jean jacket, black Dr. Martens underneath it. I don't really like the school uniform that consists of a black robe and more black clothes, but it'll have to do. When the train finally stops, it's already dark outside, but it had been surprisingly fun with the boys. Sure enough, they were a bit childish and spoiled at times, but boys will be boys, right?


	2. confident

**A/N: Another one! *DJ Khaled's voice shouting over a track***

_"It's time for me to take it_

_I'm a boss right now_

_Not gonna fake it_

_Not when you go down_

_'Cause this is my game_

_And you better come to play_

_I used to hold my freak back_

_Now I'm letting go_

_I make my own choice_

_[Clean version:] Yeah I run this show_

_[Explicit version:] Bitch, I run the show_

_So leave the lights on_

_No, you can't make me behave_

_So you say I'm complicated_

_That I must be outta my mind_

_But you've had me underrated_

_Rated, rated_

_What's wrong with being, what's wrong with being_

_What's wrong with being confident?_

_What's wrong with being, what's wrong with being_

_What's wrong with being confident?"_

Demi Lovato - Confident

As I get out, I hear a loud voice booming over the excited chatter:

"FIRST YEARS! FIRST YEARS OVER 'ERE!"

When I look around, I find the source of the yelling: there's a huge man standing there, holding a lantern in one giant hand. He looks like a friendly giant, with wild brown hair and an equally wild beard, a big grin on his face. I like him already. Then, he does something I like a little less:

"ALISTAIR LEROY! ALISTAIR LEROY, OVER 'ERE AS WELL!"

I cringe inwardly, causing Draco to chuckle. When I glare playfully at him, Blaise gently pushes me in the right direction.

"Off you go, little Ali!" He exclaims, making the boys laugh. Ignoring all the staring from other students they've caused, I walk towards the giant, keeping my back straight, expression unreadable.

"Hello there! Who're you?" The giant asks when I reach him.

"Hi, I'm Alistair Leroy." I explain, giving him a friendly smile.

"Ah, great! I'm Hagrid, gamekeeper and teacher of Care of Magical Creatures. Dumbledore told me to take you along on the special entrance with the first years." He explains. Well, I wasn't wrong about my first impression: I really liked him.

"Care of Magical Creatures? That's really interesting." I note with a smile, genuinely interested.

"Ya' think so?" He asks, rather surprised, but happy as well.

"Yeah, totally! I studied it while I was abroad." I explain, giving him a grin.

"Where did you study? ALL FIRST YEARS FOLLOW ME!" He barks to the other students, making me flinch in surprise.

"Romania, Germany, Spain. I got to work with Charlie Weasley and study dragons."

"Dragons?! I love those!" Hagrid is even more excited than I am, making me more at ease. As we get into a tiny boat, me thankfully all by myself with the friendly giant, we keep talking about dragons the entire time, until we turn around the corner.

"Yer' gonna love this." Is all that he says, a mysterious smile on his face. When I turn around to get a better look, my jaw drops. The castle looks breath taking, candles flickering warmly in the dark night, lighting the building up. It stands upon a cliff, resulting in a wonderful view.

"She's pretty, ain't she?"

I can only nod at Hagrid's comment, staring at Hogwarts with wide eyes, awed noises from first years surrounding our boat. I'd seen a lot and been to a lot of wonderful locations while I was studying abroad, but this was simply stunning in its own special way. After a while, we reach the docks and get out of the boats, Hagrid helping me out. I'm beginning to feel the nerves a bit now, but push them away in the depths of my mind, not planning on looking as nervous as the first years, hell no. To be honest, some of them look like they're going to throw up any minute. Thankfully for me, I'd been taught to keep my emotions under control. Yay, thanks Mom.

Hagrid leads us inside the castle, then gives me an encouraging pat on the shoulder that nearly dislocates it, before leaving.

After a moment, a witch arrives who introduces herself as Mrs. McGonagall. She's the Head of Gryffindor, teaches Transfiguration, and while she appears to be a stern woman, she also seems to be very correct. She explains that we'll be sorted into 4 Houses: Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Gryffindor. Each House has certain traits that they value more and based on those, we'll all be sorted into the House that'll be our home the following years. I know that Draco is in Slytherin, as well as Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle. It wasn't a surprise to me, for his entire family was in that House. Slytherin is where the cunning, ambitious people are. Some people say that only evil wizards belong there, but I beg to differ. Also, all the fuss about the House rivalry was a bit much to me. Couldn't people just accept each other's values and traits? Unlike Draco's family, mine luckily didn't really care about which House I'd be sorted into. Although my Mother was a Slytherin, Dad was a Hufflepuff, and they get along perfectly fine.

Before I fully realize it, McGonagall is leading us into the Great Hall. I'm the last student to enter, walking a few steps behind the first years, and feel people staring at me the second I enter the room. I, however, am busy taking in the room. It's huge, with a magical see through ceiling that shows the sky above the castle. There are four long tables for the students from every House, another table placed by the wall opposite the doors, on a tiny stage.

"Who is she?"

"Isn't she too old to be a first year?"

"What's up with her?"

I ignore the loud whispers and fingers pointing my way, shaking it off as best as I can. Luckily, I could trust my poker face. No one would notice that my stomach was currently doing backflips, or that my hands were shaking. Once we reach a stool, an old, tattered hat placed upon it, we stop. Dumbledore stands up and everyone turns silent in no time.

"To our new students: welcome! To our old students who are here for yet another year at Hogwarts: welcome back." Dumbledore has a kind voice, but a powerful one at the same time. You can't do anything but listen to what he has to say. I'd talked to him earlier this year, when my parents had asked him to come over to talk about me going to Hogwarts.

"This year, things are going to be a bit different at Hogwarts. There's a big event about to happen, but I'll tell you more about that later." Confused and curious whispers sound through the large room at that, but one look from Dumbledore makes most of them shut up.

"First, we'll be starting with our Sorting Ceremony. As you all must have already noticed, there's a new student amongst us. Miss Leroy has been studying abroad, but will be joining the fourth years at Hogwarts this year. I want you all to treat her kindly." If people hadn't been staring before, they sure were now. Instead of turning bright red at feeling literally everyone look at me, I lock eyes with Dumbledore and give him a nod, making him nod back, his eyes sparkling. He sits back down, while everyone begins to clap.

"Now, let's start the Sorting Ceremony. I will call out each of your names. When I do so, step forwards and put the Sorting Hat on your head." McGonagall explains, unrolling a roll of parchment.

"Tom Adams!" A terrified looking boy steps forwards, sitting down on the stool. He closes his eyes in fear as McGonagall puts the Sorting Hat on top of his dark hair, curious tension filling the air.

"HUFFLEPUF!"

Cheers erupt from the yellow and bronze table, the boy opening his eyes with a relieved look. I can't help but smile at that, for its rather sweet. I think he'll do well in his new House.

"Jamie Brown!"

"Josie Cullen!"

"Kristina Jones!"

When McGonagal nears the letter L, I pay a bit more attention to her, feeling the nerves rage through my body. Oh man, I was going to trip or something, I could feel it.

"Alistair Leroy!"

When I force myself to walk over to the stool, the first years that are still standing in front of me quickly stepping aside. I can hear everyone turn even more silent than before, paying attention to me. I carefully sit down onto the tiny chair. McGonagall gives me a comforting smile, before placing the Sorting Hat on top of my head.

"BANG!" Lightning strikes in the sky, all the candles in the room flickering. I flinch, surprised yells filling the room.

'Whoa, easy there, Miss Leroy. There's no need to be so stressed out.' A voice speaks up in my mind. My eyes close automatically, and I forget where I am. Behind my eyes, I see the vision of a man, but whenever I try to look at him, he disappears to another corner in my mind, just out of sight.

'Err... sorry'. I think, almost feeling the words appear in my head. This was strange.

'It's okay. Let's sort you, shall we?' I nod in agreement, realizing this must be the Sorting Hat's way of working.

'Any preferences?' I shake my head at that, making him hum. I can imagine him thinking, while I feel a magical entity go through my mind, looking at everything that makes me who I am. It was a rather strange sensation, I must admit. Tension fills the air, my heart racing like mad.

"GRIFFYNDOR!"


	3. magic

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoy this! **

_Call it magic_

_Call it true_

_Call it magic_

_When I'm with you_

_And I just got broken_

_Broken into two_

_Still I call it magic_

_When I'm next to you_

_And I don't, and I don't, and I don't, and I don't_

_No, I don't,_

_It's true_

_I don't, no, I don't, no, I don't, no, I don't want anybody else but you_

_I don't, no, I don't, no, I don't, no, I don't_

_No, I don't,_

_It's true_

_I don't, no, I don't, no, I don't, no, I don't want anybody else but you_

_Magic – Coldplay _

When I open my eyes, I'm greeted by applause from every table except for Slytherin's. I can't help but grin, and before I know it, McGonagall has retrieved the Sorting Hat, and I'm on my way to my new House. When I sit down where they've made room for me, I find myself sitting in between two red haired, nearly identical looking boys.

"Hello!"

"Pleasure to meet you!"

"That's Fred-"

"And he's George!"

For a moment, all I can do is stare at the two. Then, I laugh, and they start to laugh along with me.

"Hi, I'm Ali." I introduce myself with a grin.

"Nice to meet you, Ali! Well, now that you already know who we are: that's our sister Ginny, our brother Ron is the guy who's staring at you with his mouth hanging open, Hermione over there is a nosy nerd, and that's the one and only Harry Potter!" Fred, I believe, explains, pointing at the four people.

"Harry who?" I ask playfully when I see the awkwardness in the famous green eyes, messy black hair hiding his scar. The boy laughs at it in return, extending his hand towards me.

"Nice to meet you, Ali. I'm Harry." He says with a smile, making me grin as I move to shake his hand.

"Nice to meet you too. The same counts for the rest of you." The two girls give me a friendly smile, whereas Ron is still staring at me, until Harry elbows him in the ribs. Fred and George are highly amused by that, laughing even harder.

The Sorting Ceremony continues without anything major happening. After that, Dumbledore stands up, turning everyone silent once more, including me.

"Enjoy your meal!"

Happy shouts and chatter fill the room at that, food magically appearing everywhere on the table. I help everyone to get what they want on their plate before filling mine, then start eating. During dinner, I find myself not really paying attention to all the vacation stories, eyes wandering off throughout the room.

"BANG!" A door flies open, a man stalking inside. Everyone turns silent immediately at that, and the man stops, retrieving a flask from his coat, taking a sip before continuing his way to the teachers' table.

"Whoa, alcoholic much?" George mutters in my ear.

"I wouldn't call Alastor Moody a drunk if I were you." I mutter, unable to tear my eyes off of the infamous Auror.

"Wait, how do you know who he is?" Ron asks, his mouth still half filled with food.

"I've been studying abroad, Ron, I haven't been living under a rock. Of course I know who he is." I mutter as I roll my eyes, making Hermione and the twins snicker. I'm not really paying attention to what's being said next, eyes wandering from the one-legged Auror to the other teachers at the table. I recognize Dumbledore, McGonagall and Hagrid, who waves at me, making me wave back with a grin before continuing my observation. My eyes land upon a brooding, dark figure. He has long, greasy black hair that reaches his shoulders, a prominent nose and dark eyes. There's a scowl present on his lips, his attitude giving me the impression that he isn't very pleased to be here. Suddenly, he looks up, as if he's sensing my staring, dark eyes meeting mine.

"BANG!" Screams fill the room when the candles light up, fire literally flaring up about 20 inches into the air.

"Sorry!" I exclaim, flinching in surprise, thunder roaring.

"Why are you saying sorry, Ali?" Hermione asks, very confused.

"Err... it's nothing, never mind." I mutter, feeling my cheeks turn bright red. I had no idea why, but from the moment I'd stepped foot into this castle, my magic had been on high alert. First, it had reacted to the Sorting Hat so strongly, and now again. I had no idea what was wrong.

"Ali... Why is Dumbledore staring at you?" Harry asks, giving me a frown. When I turn my head, I find him staring at me indeed, along with McGonagall and the dark-haired Professor from before. I quickly turn my head back towards the table.

"No idea, he must be worried about me being new or something." I mutter, quickly shoving a spoonful of food in my mouth.

Hopefully, I won't have to answer any more questions.


	4. instant crush

**A/N: How 'bout a Potions class, huh? Cuz' I'd love to see Alistair meet a certain Professor... hehehe...**

_I didn't want to be the one to forget_

_I thought of everything I'd never regret_

_A little time with you is all that I get_

_That's all we need because it's all we can take_

_One thing I never see the same when you're 'round_

_I don't believe in him—his lips on the ground_

_I wanna take you to that place in the "Roche"_

_But no one gives us any time anymore_

_He ask me once if I'd look in on his dog_

_You made an offer for it, then you ran off_

_I got this picture of us kids in my head_

_And all I hear is the last thing that you said_

_"I listened to your problems_

_Now listen to mine"_

_I didn't want to anymore, oh, oh, oh_

_And we will never be alone again_

_'Cause it doesn't happen every day_

_Kinda counted on you being a friend_

_Can I give it up or give it away?_

_Now I thought about what I wanna say_

_But I never really know where to go_

_So I chained myself to a friend_

_'Cause I know it unlocks like a door_

_And we will never be alone again_

_'Cause it doesn't happen every day_

_Kinda counted on you being a friend_

_Can I give it up or give it away?_

_Now I thought about what I wanna say_

_But I never really know where to go_

_So I chained myself to a friend"_

_Instant Crush – Julian Casablancas ft. Daft Punk _

On Friday, we have our first Potions class. It's one of the few classes we have with Slytherin, and is taught by Severus Snape, Head of Slytherin.

Currently, I'm fucking up big time. I've been assigned to work together with Neville, whom I like very much as a person, but the both of us aren't exactly good at Potions, apparently. While being abroad, I'd never taken Potions classes, simply because I couldn't with my program.

"Errr... Neville... Isn't the potion supposed to look 'a bright, vibrant green'?" I ask him cautiously as I'm staring into our cauldron. When Neville moves to stand beside me and take a look at the cauldron, taking a break from cutting a strange fruit, I can see him gulp, eyes growing wide.

"Yes..." He mutters, glancing over to me briefly.

"Oh, okay..." I mutter back, staring at our potion in despair. It was a dark blue.

"How the hell did you guys manage to fuck up that badly?" Ron asks bluntly, having overheard our conversation.

"You're not helping, Ron." I snap, flashing him a glare.

"Wait, did you even look at the instructions?" Hermione asks, moving to stand besides Neville. Meanwhile, the potion is bubbling heavily.

"Of course we did!" I exclaim, while Neville stumbles over his words.

"Then why is it like that?" Ron asks, eyes wide as he stares at the potion.

"Shouldn't you be watching your own potion instead, Ron? It's nearly boiling over!" Hermione exclaims, making Ron rush over to it. Neville too rushes off to God-knows-where, leaving me alone with Hermione and our disaster. Speaking of which, when I look down at it, my eyes get wide.

"WATCH OUT!" I yell, quickly pushing Hermione out of the way.

"BANG!" Our cauldron explodes, blue liquid splashing everywhere. I squeeze my eyes shut, feeling the entire content of the cauldron drop down on me. FUCK.

"Ali! You're getting yourself burned!" Hermione yells worriedly. When I open my eyes, I can feel the pain flare through my body, the only thing preventing me from screaming my lip, which I'm biting on as hard as I can.

"FUCK!" I curse loudly. This hurts like a bitch! I'd had some stupid accidents before, but this really, REALLY hurt.

"Ali, oh no! Are you okay-"

"NEVILLE. Don't. Come. Any. Closer!" I exclaim, the look in my eyes alone enough to keep him from touching me.

"Nitwits! Everyone, out! Class dismissed!" Snape suddenly yells, effectively clearing the classroom in seconds.

"Are you okay, Miss Leroy?" He asks once everyone is gone, shutting the door with a flick of his wand.

"No." I bring out through my teeth, still trying not to scream, and now not to cry as well. Another flick of his wand makes the potion disappear. When I look down at my body, I find myself covered in burns. Well, that explains the pain. Snape grumbles something I don't even hear underneath his breath, then moves to retrieve something from a closet.

"You should be more careful. Potions is a class that requires your full attention." He mutters when he walks over to me.

"I know. I'm sorry." I mutter softly.

"Don't be. I'm not the one covered in burns." I scoff at his comment, but relax slightly, nonetheless. I'd expected him to get angry at me, not be this… understanding? He opens the tiny box he holds in his hands, revealing a kind of ointment. He grabs a chair, then gently pushes down on my shoulders. Surprised, I allow him to touch me, obeying and sitting down.

For a moment, his dark eyes meet mine. Then, he looks away, moving to grab a chair, putting that one opposite mine. Snape sits down on it, grabbing the tiny box.

"It's to heal the burns." He explains when he sees me looking at it intently. I relax at that, and he puts some of it on his hand. I hold back a gasp when his hand touches my arm, but feel a rush of electricity run through my body, then into the room. Snape glances up at me for a moment, but doesn't comment on it, starting to rub the ointment in. I relax more and more under his hands that are being surprisingly gentle but strong, the ointment chasing the pain away, a soothing warmth appearing instead. He slowly works his way up my arms. Suddenly, his hand moves up, caressing my cheek, dark eyes meeting mine for a moment. My heart skips a beat, and I have to remind myself he's only doing it because I have burns on my face as well. It's surprising just how gentle he can be, while he appears so menacing during class.

"You should look out for yourself, instead of saving others like Miss Granger." He mutters after a moment. When I open my eyes at that, they immediately meet his. He'd been staring at me, his fingers currently busy on a tiny burn behind my ear.

"I always help others first." I state, very surprised by his comment. How could you put yourself first, then others?

"And why is that, Miss Leroy?" He asks. For a moment, his fingers distract me when they move down to my neck, but I force myself to focus on his words.

"Because I don't want people getting hurt because of me." I answer, as if it's obvious.

"Typical Gryffindor." He mutters it underneath his breath, making me huff in annoyance. I open my mouth to say something, but his fingers dart down to the neckline of my shirt, causing the words to get caught in my throat. I remain silent after that. When he's done doing the part of my chest that didn't get saved by my shirt, he closes the box and stands up, leaving me sitting there, eyes wide.

"You can go now. The burns should be better on Monday, but if you feel pain, don't hesitate to come to me." Snape speaks up from where he's putting the ointment away.

"Alright. Thank you, Professor." I manage to bring out. He turns to look at me at that, seeming surprised.

"You're welcome. Next time, I suggest you be more careful in my class, Miss Leroy."

"Will do, Professor. Bye." I answer, throwing him a smile before making my way out of the classroom.


	5. drop the game

**_A/N: yay, another chapter! *dances like a crazy person* _**

_"I've been seeing all, I've been seeing your soul_

_Give me things that I've wanted to know _

_Tell me things that you've done_

_I've been feeling old, I've been feeling cold_

_You're the heat that I know_

_Listen, you are my sun_

_Oh oh oh oh oh _

_Hush, I said there's more to life than rush_

_Not gonna leave this place with us_

_Drop the game, it's not enough_

_Hush, I said there's more to life than rush_

_Not gonna leave this place with us_

_Drop the game, it's not enough"_

_Drop the Game – Flume ft. Chet Faker _

The following weeks fly by, all of them rather similar. I find out I'm great at Herbology, Defence Against the Dark Art and Astronomy. I'll admit, Alastor Moody is a bit of a creep, but I just shrug it off as best as I can. What I like most about Herbology is getting my hands dirty and actually taking care of something alive, but I still fail miserably at using those ingredients in Potions. I'm so terrible that it's a miracle Snape hasn't killed me yet with one of his many, long sighs. I've chosen Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies for my extra subjects, and I'm not bad at those either, especially Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid loved me being in his class, for I knew a lot more about foreign creatures than most students due to my school years abroad. Muggle Studies is a class I really enjoy, for it gives me a break from all the magic stuff. To sum up the other classes: Transfiguration is rather difficult, especially with McGonagall being very strict, Charms is okay, and History of Magic is so boring that I just sleep the time away.

In my free time, I spend a lot of time with Harry, Ron and Hermione, most of the time making homework or playing games. Other times, I go for a walk around the grounds with Draco, who mostly just complains about Harry, often resulting in me smacking him over the head. When he doesn't complain about Gryffindor, he's actually rather nice. He also tries his best to help me out with my Potions homework, but it seems that the theory isn't the problem. I just suck at making them. Whenever I get a letter from Hagrid, or whenever the idea pops up in my head, I make my way over to the little cabin, often chatting about dragons and whatnot 'till deep into the night, resulting into him having to sneak me back into the castle. We'd had a few close calls, with Snape nearly catching me, but so far we'd always managed to keep me out of trouble, and it was a lot of fun.

Time flies by, and before I know it, it's Hallowe'en. The hallways and Great Hall are decorated with giant pumpkins, spiders and skeletons, candles lighting up the hallways warmly. All classes have ended, the Great Hall currently piling up for the Hallowe'en feast that's being held. There's also rumours about an announcement Dumbledore's going to make, and I believe none of them. I'm currently seated beside Harry, Ron and Hermione opposite us.

"Now that everyone's settled, I'd like to make an announcement!" Dumbledore speaks up.

"Ugh, I'm hungry!" Ron complains, making Hermione elbow him in the side to make him shut up. Excitement buzzes through the air, making me smile amusedly.

"This castle will not only be your home during your stay here, but also to some very special guests. You see, Hogwarts has been chosen-" Dumbledore is interrupted by Filch, who runs inside like a maniac. Giggles are heard throughout the room, and even I can't help the snicker that escapes my lips. The guy was crazy, I'd tell you that. For a moment, they whisper amongst each other, then Filch runs back out of the Great Hall.

"So, Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event: The Triwizard Tournament! For those of you who don't know, the Triwizard Tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests. From each school, a single student is selected to compete." Dumbledore explains, excited whispers being uttered at hearing of the infamous event.

"Let me be clear: if chosen, you stand alone. And trust me when I say, these contests are not for the faint-hearted. But more of that later. For now, please join me in welcoming... the lovely ladies of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and their Headmistress Madame Maxine!" At those words, the doors to the Great Hall open. A group of girls dressed in beautiful blue uniforms walk inside, causing some people to gasp. When they start to show off their beauty by dancing, Hermione scoffs out loud. The boys are busy fawning over them; I'm watching the girls with an approving smile. Madame Maxine is a huge woman, even taller than Hagrid, which makes me guess she's half giant as well. When they finish their dance, all the boys start to applaud heavily, even cheering. I clap myself, accidentally locking eyes with Snape, who sneers when I wiggle my eyebrows at him. Dumbledore kisses Madame Maxines hand, which is a rather comical sight to see. Then, he moves back to stand in front of the Teachers' Table.

"And now, our friends from the North, the proud sons of Durmstrang and their Headmaster, Igor Karkarov!" Loud drums sound, the doors open once more, and inside walk very strong looking guys. Durmstrang was here too?! They carry some sort of fighting sticks, banging them against the floor, doing magic with them. This time, the ladies are the ones gasping. I'm simply staring at them with a huge grin, although I'll admit that I'm enjoying the view. They start doing tricks, when suddenly, two other people walk inside.

"It's Krum!" I hear people whispering. I'm staring at him as my grin only gets wider, an intimidating look on his face, the Headmaster, Igor Karkarov, walking in besides him.

"Blimey, it's him! Viktor Krum!" Ron whispers, possibly even more star struck than with the girls from Beauxbatons. I can't help but grin at it. If only he knew...

"Albus!" Igor Karkarov speaks up when he reaches our Headmaster, a deep chuckling sounding from his chest when he pulls Dumbledore into a tight hug. After another round of applause, the girls from Beauxbatons sit down at Ravenclaw's table, while the boys from Durmstrang sit with Slytherin. During dinner, Ron doesn't once stops talking, either about Viktor Krum or the girls from Beauxbatons. Hermione is giving him a deadly glare, although I noticed her staring at Viktor herself. I keep on grinning the entire time, whilst searching Slytherin's table.

Right before I start eating, I finally lock eyes with the person I'd been trying to look at. His face lights up, and he grins widely, making me wave at him without embarrassment. To my surprise, he gets up from his table, drawing all the attention as he starts to walk over to Gryffindor's table... to me.

"Ali!" Viktor exclaims when he's not even near, drawing even more attention, not that I mind.

"Vik!" I exclaim excitedly, getting up from my seat, running straight into his arms. His laughter is deep as his strong arms wrap around my waist, squishing me to the point where the air doesn't reach my lungs anymore, my feet dangling in the air as he accidentally lifts me up.

"How wonderful to see you! Why didn't you say hi to me earlier?" He asks in Bulgarian, letting go of me so I can look up at him, having to lay my head in my neck so our eyes can meet.

"It's great to see you too, Vik, it's been way too long. And well, I didn't want to draw any more attention to you. I know how you are." I explain in Bulgarian, throwing him a grin.

"Ah yeah, well, now they know I know you. I hope you won't be bothered too much." Viktor says, shrugging as he glances around us briefly. I follow his gaze, catching Ron, and to be fair everyone else as well, staring at us with wide eyes.

"Oh, I'm sure I won't be hearing anything else the following weeks, but I don't mind. I'm so happy to see you! It's been too long." I exclaim, feeling like my grin is going to tear my cheeks apart.

"I'm very happy to see you too, Ali. It's nice to know someone here, other than the guys." He answers with a wide smile.

"Speaking of which: come, they have missed you as well!" He adds.

"Viktor." We both turn towards the voice. I'm now facing Igor Karkarov. He's dressed in a big white coat, and is even taller than Viktor, if that was even possible. For a moment, he gives us a deadly look.

"How dare you not tell me Alistair was here!" He exclaims in Bulgarian, making the three of us laugh.

"It's wonderful to see you, my love." He adds in English, wrapping me into the second bone-crushing hug of the day, roughly banging his hand against my shoulder. I cough, but laugh nonetheless.

"Igor! I've missed you too!" I exclaim, my voice muffled by his white coat. I can feel the shock of the students get even bigger, although I didn't know how that was possible, as I wrap my arms around the Headmaster's waist in return. They'd probably never seen a Headmaster or teacher act that familiar with a student, the poor things. The fact that Igor is speaking English isn't helping either, for his voice is so loud that everyone can easily follow our conversation.

"How have you been, darling? How are your parents?" He asks, finally letting go of me.

"I'm doing great, as are my parents, thanks for asking. How have you been?" I ask him in return, that big ass grin back on my face.

"Great, although Viktor and I have been missing you. Actually, everyone has." This time, I can even hear other students gasp. One glare from Igor, though, and it's silent once more.

"Aww! I've missed you guys as well!" I say with a big grin.

"Come, let's get you to the boys. You're all they've been talking about since you left us." Viktor says with a playful grin, making me smile.

"We'll meet up later." Igor says with a wink, this time in Bulgarian, making me nod in agreement. Then, Viktor grabs me by the waist, dragging me along to Slytherin's table. I can see a few of the Slytherins pulling a face at the sight of me, but no one would ever dare say something to the infamous Viktor Krum. Viktor drops me down onto the bench, right in between all of the guys, before sitting down beside me himself.

"ALI!" All of the guys cheer, making me burst out with laughter. A few get up and nearly crush me in a group hug, before sitting back down. I'd missed these guys so badly!

When I look around during dinner, Viktor having insisted that I ate with them, I find everyone occasionally staring at me, or at Viktor, or at both of us. I look over to the teachers' table in discomfort, but that doesn't really help me either. Snape is giving me a strange look, Igor talking to him. When Igor notices me staring, he grins and winks at me, making me grin as well. Snape scowls at it, stabbing his food rather angrily. Strange man.


	6. boys

**A/N: Hi guys! Chapter 6 is here, 7 should be up soon as well :) I always post short chapters, but I do this so that I can update more regularly so you guys don't have to wait too long for updates, so. Enjoy, and let me know what you think! **

_"Hey boy_

_What you say boy_

_You tryna play coy_

_Like a game boy_

_Hit my phone boy_

_Is you home boy_

_Are you alone boy_

_Come give me dome boy_

_Got a boy with the grease_

_A boy in the streets_

_A boy on his knees_

_He a man in the sheets_

_Sheesh, it's all Greek to me_

_Got this boy speaking Spanish, ai papi_

_Baby I don't need you_

_I just wanna freak you_

_I heard you a freak too_

_What's two plus two_

_(Four, three, two, ow!)_

_I like big boys, itty bitty boys_

_Mississippi boys, inner city boys_

_I like the pretty boys with the bow tie_

_Get your nails did, let it blow dry_

_I like a big beard, I like a clean face_

_I don't discriminate, come and get a taste_

_From the playboys to the gayboys_

_Go and slay boys, you my fave boys"_

_Boys – Lizzo _

I don't know what's going on or why, but hormones are running high at Hogwarts. Either it's because of the other schools being here or because of puberty, but things were getting crazy. Currently, I'm sitting at the breakfast table, boys from both Durmstrang and Slytherin surrounding me until I feel like I can't breathe anymore.

"Do you need anything?"

"Do you want some more bread?"

"Can I help you?"

I'm getting more annoyed every second that passes by. Sighing inwardly, I look over to the teachers' table. Maybe I'll find some peace there. My eyes meet Snape's, who's smirking at me. Wait, what?! The fucker was laughing at me! I give him an outraged glare, before excusing myself from the table, muttering something about having to ask Hermione something about a test. I drop down at Gryffindor's table with a loud sigh, causing Hermione to chuckle.

"Oh, Ali, Ali, wherefore art thou Ali?!" George exclaims dramatically, dropping down next to me.

"Deny thy virginity and refuse these men!" Fred adds, making me roll my eyes as he wraps an arm around my waist.

"OR, if thou will not, be but sworn our love, or we'll no longer be Weasleys!" George ends. When they both start to pepper my cheeks with kisses, I squeal, even giggling like a stupid schoolgirl.

"Quit it!" I yell playfully, smacking their arms.

"Only if you'll be ours!" Fred teases, making me smack him again.

"Hey! That's enough!" I scold him.

"Oohhh, I like it when she gets bossy." George adds.

"Will you stop it already? This is exactly why I left the other table!" I exclaim, sighing deeply.

"Aww, we thought you liked our attention." Fred and George say simultaneously, pouting.

"I've had enough male attention this morning alone to last a lifetime." I say with a groan, making Hermione chuckle.

"Be happy, it could've been Snape giving you that attention." Fred says, a bit too loud. I can feel Snape stare at us at that, making me smirk. It was payback time.

"Oh, I wish! Snape could get me anytime." I exclaim with a dramatic sigh, even leaning back onto the table to add to it. When I hear someone choke on their drink at the teachers' table, I know it worked. A glance that way earns me the wonderful sight of Snape wiping coffee off his clothes.

"DUDE. GROSS." Ron blurts out, staring at me with his mouth wide open. I merely smirk at him, the twins doubled over with laughter on either side of me.

After breakfast, I make my way to Potions class all by myself, since Ron went looking for Harry and Hermione disappeared to get a book from the library. I'm walking through a busy hallway, when someone runs into me.

"Hey, watch out!" I turn towards the sound, raising an eyebrow at the voice.

"This is the Prince of Bulgaria you just ran into!" A guy from Durmstrang exclaims, motioning towards one of the guys surrounding him.

"Oh really? I don't give a fuck about the fact that he's the Prince." I snap, getting annoyed with the dude.

"Is that so?" Another voice speaks up, warm and deep. When I turn to look at who the voice belongs to, I'm met with a pair of deep blue eyes. The guy is a lot taller than I am, with messy dark hair and a defined jawline. Holy shit, he was hot.

"Yes, it is." I manage to bring out, keeping up my annoyed face. Pretty or not, he just ran into me.

"You should watch out who you're speaking to-"

"It's fine, Mikael." The guy, who I assume is the Prince, interrupts, raising a hand to dismiss the boy. I give the guy a triumphant smirk.

"I'm the one who should apologize. I ran into you, and I'm sorry for that." The Prince says, surprisingly kind, an amused look in his blue eyes.

"It's fine, I just wasn't going to apologize to you simply because you're the Prince." I admit, looking up at him with a smile. He was surprisingly nice.

"It's okay, Ali Leroy." He says amusedly.

"How do you know my name, your Highness?" I ask him playfully.

"There isn't anyone at Durmstrang who doesn't know your name, I'm afraid. And please, just Niklaus will do just fine." The Prince, Niklaus, corrects me with a smile.

"Alright then, Niklaus. Your Highness sounded a bit too stiff to me anyways." I say with a shrug.

"I'll see you around, Miss Leroy." He answers, smirking.

"Ali will do just fine, Niklaus." I correct him, making him grin. Then, I make my way past the group, into the Potions classroom, a smile on my face.

"Really Ali? First Viktor Krum, now the Prince of Bulgaria?" Draco asks teasingly, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Oh, shut it, Draco. You're just jealous." I scoff.

"Damn right I am." He says with a smirk, moving to stand behind me, hands appearing on my waist.

"You never make time for me anymore, Ali, I'm hurt." He whispers playfully in my ear.

"Mr. Malfoy, to your seat. I bet Miss Leroy already has enough silly boys chasing her." Snape says casually, making everyone snicker. Draco moves to his seat, but turns to me a last time to throw me a wink. I roll my eyes at it, but smile nonetheless. When my eyes lock with Snape's, I give him a grateful look. He pretends to ignore it, but I could've sworn the corner of his mouth lifted upwards.

This week, we're making a potion individually, and I'm really doing my best to focus and do everything right, but somehow it seems to go wrong again. Again. I sigh deeply, growing frustrated. How am I unable to make the simplest thing go right in this class? Even at my worst classes, I'm somewhat decent, but not here, apparently.

"Miss Leroy." A deep voice speaks up from behind me, making me sigh even deeper. Snape was already here to watch my disaster.

"I really paid attention, I don't know what went wrong…" I say, turning to look at him, shrugging hopelessly. He sighs, moving closer to stand beside me, taking a look into the cauldron.

"How on Earth… it's like you've never had a Potions class, Miss Leroy." He brings out.

"Well, it's not like I've ever had a Potions class…" I mutter quietly. When Snape remains silent, I look up at him confused, finding him staring at me with wide eyes. Then, he sighs, pulling out his wand and making the potion disappear, leaving my cauldron empty.

"I expect you in my office after dinner. You're dismissed for now." He says, then turns to leave. I'm a bit confused, but pack my things anyway, quietly slipping out of the classroom.

"Look who we have here." A familiar voice speaks up. I open my eyes, looking up to find the Prince of Bulgaria leaning over me. I'd been lying in the sun near the lake, feet bare, planning on enjoying my free period. I had no clue why Snape had sent me away, but I guessed he couldn't really do much with me if I didn't know shit about Potions.

"You're Highness." I greet him with a smile. He chuckles, moving to sit down beside me.

"Don't you have class?" He asks, planting his elbows in the grass.

"I could ask you the same." I answer with a grin.

"We're finished for the day. What's your excuse?"

"I got dismissed from Potions. Apparently, I'm too awful at it to even be in class." He laughs at that, making me smile.

"Well, I'll have to thank Professor Snape for dismissing you from class." He says after a while.

"And why is that?" I ask teasingly, rolling onto my stomach, supporting my face with my elbows so I can look at him. He was really pretty, with his ocean blue eyes and messy dark hair. It looked a bit lighter now, as he moves to lie on his back, staining his white dress shirt without doubt. He didn't really seem to care, seeming very relaxed and casual for someone who was a prince.

"Because now I get to spend time with you without everyone staring." He explains, closing his eyes with a content sigh.

"Must be hard, being a prince." I say, not really knowing what else to say.

"I was talking about you, Ali. Everyone's always staring at you."

"What? You're kidding me." I answer, chuckling.

"I'm serious, Ali. It seems like there's always someone around you. It makes it hard to try and talk to you." He explains, opening his eyes to look at me.

"You wanted to talk to me?" I ask, surprised.

"Viktor never shuts up about you. I stopped home schooling this year to begin at Durmstrang, but even I knew who you were. He told me so many good things that I really wanted to meet you, but here everyone seems to hang around you. It makes it difficult; I didn't want to cause any more fuss because I'm the prince and stuff. I'm actually glad you ran into me." He explains, smiling at me.

"Well Vik brags a lot, so I hope I live up to your expectations a little bit." I say, grinning.

"Even better." He says, giving me a wink.


	7. black magic

**A/N: Chapter 7 y'all! This is a really small one, but I'm glad I could post it on the same day as Chapter 6! :) **

_"Take a sip of my secret potion,_

_I'll make you fall in love._

_For a spell that can't be broken,_

_One drop should be enough._

_Boy, you belong to me,_

_I got the recipe_

_And it's called black magic_

_(and it's called black magic)_

_Take a sip of my secret potion,_

_One taste and you'll be mine._

_It's a spell that can't be broken_

_It'll keep you up all night_

_Boy, you belong to me,_

_I got the recipe_

_And it's called black magic_

_(and it's called black magic)"_

_Black Magic – Little Mix_

After talking and just lying in the grass for two hours with Niklaus, I decide that he's a nice guy. He makes me laugh and he's very normal despite his status, and I like that. Classes pass quickly, and after dinner, I find myself waiting in front of Snape's office. I knock three times, taking a deep breath.

"Come in."  
I open the heavy door, gently closing it behind me. I find Professor Snape sitting behind his desk, looking through some tests. I can see the loads of red ink from here.

"Miss Leroy, what on Earth are you wearing?" He asks when he looks up, startled.

"Oh, I- I thought since it was after school hours, I didn't have to show up in my robes. I can go change if you'd like…" I mutter, surprised.

"No, it's fine. I was merely surprised. None of the other students show up wearing bright yellow socks." He says, waving in dismissal.

"There's alpacas on them as well." I mutter quietly, looking down at my feet.

"Alpacas…" He trails off, shaking his head as he looks down at his papers briefly before putting them aside. His desk was surprisingly neat, considering all the paperwork. I did find the cabinets stacked with dead animals in jars on liquid a bit gross, but I just tried not to look at them. I hadn't expected him to be so surprised by my clothing choice, but then again, I was wearing a bright yellow sweater, wide soft black pants and my yellow alpaca socks, so.

"Do you know why you're here, Miss Leroy?" He asks after a moment.

"Because I suck at Potions?" I ask, shrugging helplessly as I lock eyes with his.

"Because you've never had a Potions class before. You can't expect a student to be able to keep up with fourth year potions class if they haven't ever brewed a potion before." He corrects, getting up from behind his desk.

"I've spoken with our Headmaster, and we agreed that you need extra lessons in order to be able to be able to get a good grade for Potions. I'll be giving them to you after hours." He explains, grabbing certain things from cabinets, putting them down on his desk, stashing away all his papers safely.

"Alright, let's get to work. Are you ready?"

I take a deep breath, nerves wrecking through my body, but nod anyways.

"There you go. Now gently crush the bezoar." Snape orders, surprisingly gentle for his doing.

"I thought you were supposed to cut it?" I ask, surprised.

"This way you get more liquid out of it." He explains, making me hum thoughtfully.

"Here, you have to turn the knife, then gently crush it with the flat side." He adds, placing his hands over mine before doing as he says, making me watch as he makes me crush the bezoar. I smile as the liquid comes out of it easily, gathering at the bottom of the bowl.

"They get this from goats, right?" I ask, frowning in concentration as he orders me to crush the stone even more.

"It comes from their stomachs, yes. Do you also know what it's used for uncrushed?" He asks, sounding pleasantly surprised that I asked. I think deeply for a moment, recalling hearing about it in Romania when I was with Charlie Weasley. Someone had been burned… no, poisoned!

"Antidote for poison?" I ask, glancing over my shoulder in uncertainty.

"Very well. It doesn't work against all potions, but it's effective against most, so it's easy to always have one close by." He nods, giving me an approving look. It surprises me, but I try not to show it. It did make me feel proud, getting that right.

Snape turns out to be a lot nicer than I expected, helping me with patience and without being mean to me. I think he's a lot better one on one than in front of an entire class, maybe because I really try to keep up with him and actually pay attention to every word he says. I find his instructions a lot clearer now than when they're written down onto a blackboard.

After a few hours, the potion's finally ready. I've crushed the bezoar, added something called Standard Ingredient (I have no clue what it actually is), a pinch of unicorn horns and mistletoe berries. What confuses me is the part where the potion needs to boil in different cauldrons after the other, but I just do as I'm told.

"It's…" I watch nervously as Snape inspects the potion before putting it into a vial.

"It's great. You've successfully made an antidote against common potions." He decides, throwing me the tiniest smile. I grin at it, unable to help myself.

"Thank you for the help, Professor." I say honestly, shrugging.

"You're welcome. It won't be easy to catch up with four years of Potions. The Headmaster and I decided it would be best if you got extra classes at least once every two weeks." He states, looking down at me.

"Alright. I really wanna pass this class." I answer with a shrug.

"And you will. I'll see you in two weeks, same hour. You're dismissed, Miss Leroy." He answers, less harsh than usually, making me smile.

"Bye, Professor." He bends back over his papers. I quietly slip out of the door, sighing deeply in relief.

That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.


	8. ok

**_A/N: another chapter y'all! I like where this is going, so far. Are you? Anyways, let's get this chapter started! _**

_"Wake up with a knot in my chest_

_Tried everything just to get out of bed_

_It ain't workin', it ain't workin'_

_Sometimes I can get like this_

_Cover it up with a smile on my face_

_But I'm hurtin', I'm still hurtin'_

_There are days when the world gets heavy_

_Sleepless nights, I've had way too many_

_When it's late and no one's around, around_

_Alone in my room and the tears start pouring_

_Wishin' the nights were still the mornin'_

_But tonight I'ma let them fall down, fall down_

_'Cause it's OK not to be OK_

_It's OK if you feel the pain_

_Don't gotta wipe your tears away_

_Tomorrow's another day_

_It's OK not to be OK_

_It's fine, you're allowed to break_

_As long as you know, as long as you know_

_Everything's gonna be OK, OK, OK_

_As long as you know, as long as you know_

_Everything's gonna be OK, OK"_

_OK – Mabel (Anxiety Anthem) _

Everyone gathers in the Great Hall, curious talks of who will be chosen filling up the room. Everyone from Durmstrang had put their name in the goblet, as did all the students from Beauxbatons. It made sense, since they came here especially for the Tournament. From our school, there had been Angelina Johnson from Gryffindor, Cedric Diggory from Hufflepuff and Cassius Warrington from Slytherin. I was curious to find out who would be competing, especially since I knew Vik put his name in the goblet as well.

"Sit down, please." Dumbledore speaks up loudly.

Once everyone sits down, Dumbledore walks over to the middle of the room, everyone turning silent at it. Instead of our usual set up with the four tables, there's benches against the walls. I'm sitting behind Harry and Ron, next to Hermione.

"Now the moment you've all been waiting for: the champions' selection!" Excitement and tension hang heavily in the air after his words. Dumbledore starts moving his hand, and I can feel his magic go through the room, my own growing on edge by it. He finally points his arm towards the Goblet of Fire, it's blue flame bright as he begins to walk around it. Just like that, the flame turns red, and spits out a burnt piece of paper. I watch curiously as he grabs the piece and reads it.

"The Durmstrang champion is… Viktor Krum!"

Cheers sound, and I find myself clapping along with a big grin. Vik seems very happy, shaking his friends' hands before standing up and making his way over to Dumbledore, who shakes his hand and then sends him off to somewhere else. Silence returns to the room. The goblet spits out a second piece of paper.

"The champion of Beauxbatons… Fleur Delacour!" I clap at that too, although it's probably less enthusiastic than for Viktor. Fleur is a very pretty girl, and she smiles confidently as she walks over to Dumbledore. Ron stares at her so badly that I smack him around the head.

The third piece of paper is revealed, and everyone from Hogwarts holds their breath.

"The Hogwarts champion… Cedric Diggory!" We all cheer at that, including me. Cedric's a good kid, and I like the fact that a Hufflepuff is our champion. He's smiling very widely as he makes his way over to Dumbledore. The cheers remain until after he's left the room.

"Excellent! We now have our three champions! But at the end, only one will go down in history. Only one will hoist this chalice of champions, this vessel of victory, the Triwizard Cup!" Everyone cheers and claps as the magical Cup is revealed, but I stop quickly when I see Snape step towards Dumbledore. There's a worried look on his face that I haven't ever seen before, his eyes focused on the Goblet of Fire. I turn my head to look at it, an unsettling feeling appearing in my stomach when another paper bursts from it. Dumbledore grabs it, and the shock that's visible in his body language and later his voice makes me freeze up.

"Harry Potter?" He asks softly.

"Harry Potter?!" He repeats, louder this time. Harry, who'd stood up automatically, sits back down quickly, panic filling his eyes. I grab his shoulder, squeezing it in hopes to comfort him. He doesn't respond, frozen underneath my touch.

"No, no." Hagrid mutters.

"HARRY POTTER?" Dumbledore repeats, sounding angry this time.

"Harry, go." I whisper, Hermione and I pushing him up. He seems shocked, too shocked for this to have been this intention, as he walks over to Dumbledore. He hands him over the paper.

"He's a cheat!"

"We know he isn't seventeen yet!"

Some people yell, and others begin to whisper. My heart fills with worry for Harry, my stomach turning. Snape gives Harry a strange look, and then he's out the door. McGonagall is the only one who does something, giving him an emphatic squeeze on the shoulder. The door closes, and chaos erupts.

"Harry?" I speak up as I enter the Astronomy Tower, finding him sitting there. I'd searched the Owlery first, and Hedwig had flown over here, which gave me the feeling she was trying to tell me he was here. Seems like she was right.

"Why are you here?" He mutters defeatedly.

"Why wouldn't I be? We're friends." I answer, walking over to him.

"Ron's supposed to be my friend too, and he claims I did this myself. He hates me." Harry argues, looking up at me with sad green eyes.

"Ron's an idiot." I state, moving to sit down beside him.

"You believe me?" He asks, sounding surprised.

"Harry, I know you. You would never do something stupid like that to put your own life at risk. Besides, you can't fake that shock. I believe you."

He relaxes visibly at that, shoulders sagging as a long held breath escapes his lips.

"Poor thing. Luck really isn't on your side, huh?" I mutter, wrapping an arm around him when I see tears rolling down his face. He lays his head on my shoulder, and we remain like that for a long time, just me and him, the stars shining down upon us.

The following month passes in a blur. I spend a lot of my time with Harry, who seems absolutely devastated about the betrayal of his friend, even though he tries to appreciate my attempts to cheer him up as best as he can. When Ron tries to come at me for it, pulling the 'Harry-put-his-name-in-himself-for-the-fame'-shit, I end up yelling at him for how stupid he is, resulting in the twins having to drag me away. So right now, Ron's pissed at me too, but I couldn't care less. I believe Harry. I sit next to him in most classes, and try my best to hang out with him after that. Hermione spends a lot of time at the library to avoid the two, and so does Vik. When I ask him about it, he admits that he has a terrible crush on her, and that she helps him with homework. It was difficult for him to combine school with his top position as Seeker in the national team. Secretly, I totally shipped them, often subtly taking either of them to the library when I knew the other was there, then leaving the two of them alone to talk. By doing this, I grow a lot closer to Hermione too, talking to her often late at night in the dorm we share with Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil and Fay Dunbar.

My other free time is used making tons of homework and my extra lessons with Snape. I'm growing slightly more comfortable around him during these lessons, for he's way more patient and understanding than normally in his classes. I'm not really a person who likes pressure, so I appreciate that. Eventually, we also end up discussing Harry's participation.

"You're hanging around the Potter boy a lot lately." He notes after I made a comment about how Harry told me to cut a certain plant the way I just did, him correcting me by saying it was awfully wrong to do it like that.

"He's lonely. He didn't ask for all of this to happen to him." I answer, keeping my focus on the potion.

"Is that what you think?" He asks, not assuming anything, just asking. That's what I liked about him. He didn't ask me much, but if he did, it really was just a question, nothing more, nothing less.

"I do. I know him, he's had enough of all the attention already. Besides, you saw the surprise on his face too. He can't fake that." I state, glancing over to Snape for a moment.

"I believe the boy." He states dryly, making me hum.

Due to me hanging out with Harry a lot, I get to meet Cedric Diggory. First, he asks me to speak with Harry in private, the two of us having been walking the hallways. I agree, walking off to a place a bit further away from them, and watch them talk. After that, they walk over to me, and Cedric extends his hand towards me with a smile.

"I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Cedric." He says politely, making me shake his hand.

"No problem, Cedric. I already knew your name. I'm Ali."

After that, we speak each other again on a few occasions. I find out that he's excellent at Charms and Transfiguration, and I even end up asking for his help on a certain Transfiguration essay, which he's more than happy to help me with. He's not too loud, only speaking when needed, but one on one he's kind, smart and funny. I think he's a great guy, and he's madly in love with Cho Chang. I've seen Harry look at her a lot lately too, though, so that was bound to become difficult real soon.

Something that I've also noticed, is that Niklaus is a lot more often around me lately. He bumps into me in the hallways gently, a joke referring to how we met, and most of the time then asks to have dinner together. Most of the time, it ends up with the two of us pressed in between more guys from Durmstrang, which he doesn't really like, but I don't mind. He tells me about how he paints in his free time, that he's secretly a fan of 80's music, and that he enjoys pranking the butlers at the castle where he lives. His parents are strict, but love him very dearly, since he's their only son.

Soon enough, it's time for the first task. No one has a clue what it's going to be, not even Harry and Cedric, so excitement hangs in the air. I'm more concerned about my friends than anything else, since not only Harry, but Vik and even Cedric were people I knew. I hadn't seen Fleur a lot, but I had a hunch that I'd get to know her soon too. I just hoped everything would go well.


	9. fire on fire

**_A/N: And another one! I'm really going hard on this writing vibe, and it makes me so happy! Every new chapter that I manage makes my mood ten times better. Enjoy! _**

_"My mother said I'm too romantic_

_She said, "You're dancing in the movies."_

_I almost started to believe her_

_Then I saw you and I knew_

_Maybe it's 'cause I got a little bit older_

_Maybe it's all that I've been through_

_I'd like to think it's how you lean on my shoulder_

_And how I see myself with you_

_I don't say a word_

_But still, you take my breath and steal the things I know_

_There you go, saving me from out of the cold_

_Fire on fire, would normally kill us_

_With this much desire, together, we're winners_

_They say that we're out of control and some say we're sinners_

_But don't let them ruin our beautiful rhythms_

_'Cause when you unfold me and tell me you love me_

_And look in my eye_

_You are perfection, my only direction_

_It's fire on fire, mmm_

_It's fire on fire"_

_Fire On Fire – Sam Smith _

When I walk into the Great Hall for dinner, I notice something's different. There are even more people sitting at the teacher's table, confusing me. When I spot the familiar redhead, a grin appears on my face. I quickly make my way over to him, waving at him until he notices. He stands up at it, walking towards me.

"Well, well, look who we have here! Little Ali, all settled down at Hogwarts, are we?"

"Charlie!" I exclaim, crashing into him as I wrap my arms around his waist. He chuckles, hugging me back tightly.

"I've missed you, little one." He says, going through my hair playfully.

"I liked your hair better short." He adds, making me chuckle.

"Only because a Horntail burnt it so I had to cut it." I argue, playfully punching him in the chest.

"Well, it was your own fault! You wanted to pet him!" Charlie exclaims, making me laugh.

"Fair enough. Why are you here? I thought you were in Egypt!" I ask, smiling.

"I can't tell you about that just yet, but you'll see soon. You'll like it." He says, and I decide not to go further into it. If Charlie didn't tell me something, he had his reasons.

"It has something to do with the first task of the Tournament." He adds, and my eyes grow wider.

"Cool. No clue what it's gonna be." I state, although Charlie probably knows I have a feeling where this task is going.

"Wanna catch up later tonight? I was planning on coming over to the Common Room anyways to see my brothers." He offers, making me grin.

"Sure! You have to tell me everything that happened since I left!" I exclaim, pulling him into a last hug before skipping back to my table.

"You know our brother?!" Ron asks, shocked. The twins give me the same look, and it makes me laugh out loud.

"Of course! We studied dragons together back in Romania. Did you guys not know?" I ask, surprised.

"NO!" The three of them exclaim at the same time, making me chuckle.

"Well, now you do."

A few hours after dinner, Charlie shows up in the Common Room. Fred and George drag me over to him as soon as he enters, demanding we tell them stories of our time together in Romania. It ends up with Charlie telling them about how I had to cut my hair short.

"You tried to pet a dragon?!" They exclaim, doubling over with laughter.

"It was just a year old! I thought it would be like a tiny hippogriff, I don't know!" I exclaim in my defense, laughing nonetheless.

"You're just like Hagrid!" Fred exclaims.

"Charlie, you should really take Hagrid with you sometime." I add, making him nod in agreement.

"And, I'm inviting myself!" I add, causing the others to laugh.

"Speaking of, would you like going on a midnight stroll? There's something we need to talk about." He says, a mysterious look in his eyes. His brothers let out ooh's and ah's, but I ignore them and nod, standing up after him. We leave the Common Room, and I'm happy that I'm wearing a big dark red sweater, since it's really cold outside.

"So, is this about why you're here?" I ask after a while, glancing over at him.

"Yeah. I'm here for the first task." He gives in, a smile on his face when he sees me looking at him.

"I missed you, Ali." He adds, making me smile.

"I've missed you too, Charlie." I answer, moving to walk closer to him. When he offers his arm, I take it, the both of us walking out of the castle.

After a year at Durmstrang, I'd joined Charlie and a group of people that studied and took care of the dragons that lived in Romania for about 6 months. He was one of the only wizards that spoke English, so it was nice to have him around and just be able to talk about home. Charlie had been like a big brother to me there, being sweet and protective and funny. He was always there to comfort me whenever I missed my family or just had a bad day.

"Now tell me about the first task. It's something with dragons, right?" I continue the conversation, huddling closer to him as the harsh winter wind hits me. I'm hit with his familiar scent of fire and chocolate, reminding me of our late night talks by the fireplace after a day of taking care of dragons.

"Yeah. They're making the contestants pick a dragon first, then they have to find a way to steal a golden egg that we'll put in their nest." He explains, making me turn to him with wide eyes.

"For real? That's super dangerous, the other eggs could get hurt!" I exclaim, giving him a look.

"Yeah, I know. It was the only way the mothers would protect the egg, though. There will be points deducted if any of the eggs are damaged." He explains, not looking too happy about it either.

"Alright, I guess. Which dragons do they have?" I ask, noticing he's leading me all the way to the Forbidden Forest.

"See for yourself." He answers mysteriously, leading the way into the forest. Subconsciously, I lean closer into him as it gets darker, the moon no longer illuminating our path. I grab my wand from my pocket, and it lights up on its own accord.

"Your magic seems stronger." Charlie notes, as we wind down a small, nearly invisible path.

"Yeah, it's been running crazy since I got here. There's magic everywhere." I answer, making him hum in agreement. We walk for a while longer, and I begin to hear familiar sounds of dragons and magic. Excitement fills my heart, and a grin spreads on my face when we break through the trees and I see the open field there.

"They're gorgeous." I bring out, staring at the four dragons that the wizards are trying to keep calm.

"Is that… my baby?" I ask when my eyes land upon a certain red coloured Chinese Fireball.

"It is." Charlie answers, making my jaw drop.

"I can't believe that's her!" I exclaim, then walk over to the wizards. She seems relatively calm compared to the others, if I'm being honest.

"Aimen!" I call out softly. She perks her head, searching the crowd for me.

"Aimen!" I repeat, a little louder this time. Her green eye lands upon me, and she roars with joy.

"Relax! She knows the girl." Charlie exclaims when someone protests about me coming closer.

"Hey, girl, how you doing?" I ask her gently, practically like one would talk to a child. She rumbles at that, her chest expanding.

"I can tell, you're a momma now. I'm so proud of you, baby, all grown up! Look how pretty you are!" Smoke leaves her snout, indicating she's very happy.

"Miss Leroy, what on earth are you doing?" I recognize Snape's voice, but ignore it, approaching the dragon. Carefully, I extend my magic into the air, filling it with a calming hum, the rhythm like a lullaby. Aimen calms down at that, slowly going through her legs until she's lying on the grass, her eggs covered by her body protectively.

"You can trust me, remember? It's Ali." I shush her, showing her the dragon tooth necklace I always wear around my neck. The first time we'd met, when she'd just been a baby, she had a tooth injury. I was the only one who could get close enough to her due to my magic calming her down, and after that we'd created a strong bond. Seeing her all grown up really made me proud.

"There you go, atta girl." I praise when she closes her eyes, a sigh leaving her nose, smoke leaving it.

Carefully, I place my hand on her snout, and she leans into the touch, the feeling familiar. One Chinese myth says that dragons remember touch forever, and right now, I know it's true. My magic leans into her, enveloping her like a warm blanket, and I touch her both physically and spiritually now. For a brief moment, I feel her emotions, the turmoil of being brought here, the love for her babies, how she enjoys seeing me, and then I pull back before I read too much and intrude her privacy. I let go of her with a last stroke of my hand, and she's asleep. When I turn to where Charlie's standing, all the people there are staring at me in shock. Only now, I see that Snape, Dumbledore, Hagrid, Igor and Madame Maxime are here too.

"You're insane." Igor states seriously. When I raise an eyebrow at him, making my way over to them, his lips break out into a huge grin.

"I like it!" He adds, pulling me into a strong embrace, his hand patting my back so hard that it feels like my lungs are being crushed.

"How did you do that, Miss Leroy?" Dumbledore asks, giving me a curious look.

"It's just a way of using my magic, I think. It works like some sort of humming beat, and it relaxes her. I do think it's only because of our bond, though. I helped her back when I was in Romania with Charlie.

"If you think it's only because of your bond, you should look back, Miss Leroy." Snape states, giving me a strange look. It was almost as if he was… impressed? When I turn around, I get why he said that.

"Whoah. I've never been able to do that before." I bring out in surprise, staring at the four dragons that were now asleep.

"It felt different. Even I felt the humming." Charlie speaks up, giving me a proud look.

"Can ye teach me?!" Hagrid asks eagerly, making me laugh.

"I'm afraid that what Miss Leroy can do is something unique, Hagrid." Dumbledore speaks up, giving me a strange look.

"Anyway, I think it's time for me to go to bed. Can't miss Potions tomorrow, right?" I say with a grin, making Snape scowl.

"I'll take you back to the castle." Igor offers before anyone else can.

"Sure." I say, shrugging before taking the arm he offers. The others mutter a goodnight, whereas Snape is now glaring at Igor.

"What's his problem?" I ask once we're out of hearing distance. It feels even more colder now that we're away from the dragons, since they're naturally a lot warmer.

"He claims I don't know how to keep an 'appropriate distance' from you." He answers with a scoff.

"He's just jealous if you ask me." He adds with a wink, making me chuckle.

"Yeah, sure." I answer sarcastically, and he laughs this time. I shiver at the cold when we leave the forest, it being even colder here without the protection from the trees.

"You're cold. Here." Igor states, taking off his big fur coat. I try to protest, but it's already around me, it's warmth rapidly warming me up. I enjoy the feeling, cuddling closer into it, as his arm wraps around my shoulder, pulling me close to him before we start walking again.

"Thanks, Igor." I mutter, making him smile.

"Do you think Vik can win this thing?" I ask after a while of peaceful silence.

"I don't know. I think if there's one person at Durmstrang who can, it's him. I guess we'll see, right?"

I hum in agreement at that.

"You and I are proud of him regardless of this tournament." He adds, making me smile.

"Of course." I say, glancing up at him for a moment.

"I'm very proud of you too, Alistair. It's amazing what you did back there, and you don't even realize it." He states, stopping a bit in front of the gates.

"Thanks, Igor. It means a lot to hear that from you." I say softly, feeling emotional all of the sudden.

"I mean it. You're something else." His dark eyes are full of pride when they meet mine, and standing there, wrapped in his big ass coat, I feel protected and safe, much like when my father hugs me. Igor had always been a second father to me back at Durmstrang. It had been hard, being the only girl there and from Britain, but he'd made sure no one disrespected me.

"Thank you." I mutter, than wrap my arms around him. He hugs me back, and I force back some unexpected tears.

"Goodnight, Alistair." He says softly before pressing a kiss on my head, then lets go.

"Goodnight, Igor." I answer, letting go of him too. I watch him walk away from me, until I realize I forgot something.

"Wait! Don't you need your coat?" I call out, making him turn back with a grin.

"Keep it! You can give it back tomorrow." He answers, then turns away, quickly getting further away. Smiling, I walk into the castle, making it all the way to our dorm without Filch or anyone else seeing me. Once in our dorm room, I change into my pyjama's, which are some football shorts and a band shirt. I grab Igor's coat as my blanket for the night, soothed by the familiar scent of cigars and whisky.


	10. another place

**A/N: Hi guys, here's the new chapter! I'd like to thank Arizonamarie for proofreading this chapter, she's one of my good friends and I'm glad she's equally excited about fanfiction as I am! She's also the one who pointed out that in my first few chapters,I kept mixing up the names Blaise and Ali(stair), so I fixed that. Well, just to be clear, it was meant to be Alistair the entire time! I mixed it up because I'd written the beginning years ago, back when I had a different name in my mind than the one I ended up picking for my OC. Anyways, enjoy, and let me know what you think! **

_"I am bound to you with a tie that we cannot break_  
_With a night that we can't replace_  
_I'm lost but found with you in a bed that we'll never make_  
_It's a feeling we always chase_

_I could write a book about the things that you said to me on the pillow_  
_And the way you think, and how you make me feel_  
_You can fill my mind and move my body with the fiction, fantasies_  
_Just call this what it is, we don't pretend it's real_

_So don't make promises to me that you're gonna break_  
_We only ever wanted one thing from this_  
_Don't paint wonderful lies on me that wash away_  
_We only ever wanted one thing from this_  
_Oh, in another place_  
_In another time, what could we have been?_  
_Oh, in another place_  
_In another time, what could we have been?_

_Mm, in another time_  
_And in another place_

_So lie to me tonight and pretend 'til the morning light_  
_And imagine that you are mine_  
_'Cause when the sun will rise with the truth coming out your eyes_  
_We'll be good in another life"_

_Another Place - Bastille, Alessia Cara_

Today's the dragon task. I'll admit I'm a bit nervous, both for my friends and the dragons, which means I'm up earlier than usual. When I walk into the Great Hall, none of my friends are up yet, except for Niklaus. He looks up when I walk inside, and smiles at me, blue eyes shining brightly.

"Good morning." He says when I sit down beside him, surprising me by wrapping me into a short but sweet hug.

"Morning, Niklaus." I answer before yawning. He smiles at it.

"Why are you up so early?" he asks, taking a bite of his pancake. Now that I noticed, his entire plate was stacked with pancakes.

"I'm worried about the first task. It might be dangerous." I admit, making a plate with bacon and eggs for myself.

"Don't worry. They'll be fine." He answers, throwing me an assuring smile.

"Thanks."

When I look around the room, I see that not that many people are around. There's a few Ravenclaws studying, a couple of Slytherins playing cards and Hufflepuffs playing a different game at their table, one Gryffindor entranced reading a book. At the teacher's table, there's only Snape and McGonagall, both of them sipping their coffee in silence. As if he feels my stare, he looks up, then scowls when his eyes land upon Niklaus.

"What's his deal?" Niklaus asks quietly.

"No clue." I answer with a shrug, before returning to my breakfast. After a while, students start piling in, the Great Hall getting more busy, more noise filling the room. I stay with Niklaus, only getting up for a moment to wish Harry and Cedric good luck, then do the same to Vik when he sits down next to me at the table. When everyone starts leaving to where the first task will be, being the Quidditch grounds, Niklaus turns to me.

"Shall we go?" I nod at it, allowing him to help me up. He grabs my hand and leads me through the other students, my cheeks turning pink at it. Together, we walk all the way over there, Niklaus finding us a spot near the teacher's tribune, where the judges will be as well, holding the best view over the field that had been turned into an arena, complete with rocks and everything. I'm glad that I'm wearing my Gryffindor scarf and gloves, practically freezing already. Even more students arrive, the tribunes being filled quickly, and then the teachers and judges make their way onto the tribune where we're seated. Igor immediately comes over to give me a hug, then wraps his coat around me before I can protest, throwing Niklaus a look that tells him he should've given me his coat instead. Hagrid ends up sitting next to me on my other side, very excited about what was about to come next. As the task is about to begin, I grow more nervous. Niklaus notices, and grabs my hand, squeezing comfortingly. It makes my stomach turn, and I throw him a nervous smile.

Cedric is up first, facing a Swedish Short-Snout. I watch curiously, surprised when he uses a spell to turn a rock into a dog. It distracts the dragon, and I find it rather smart, until the dragon returns it attention to him and burns his face partially. Cedric already has the egg, however, so he succeeds, and I cheer loudly for him. Second up is Fleur, who has a Common Welsh Green. I'm even more impressed when she uses a spell that makes the dragon fall asleep. As she grabs the egg, however, the dragon snores and sets her skirt on fire with the flame that escapes his mouth. She's quick to extinguish the fire, though, and is the second to succeed. I clap politely for her too.

Viktor's up, and I'm growing nervous. Not only because he's up, but also because it's Aimen he's up against. She protects her eggs fiercely, until Vik uses the Conjunctivitis Curse to blind her. I stand up at that, worry filling my head as Aimen starts stumbling around furiously. When she inevitably steps onto her eggs, my heart breaks like the scales of the eggs. Instinctively, I reach out to her with my magic to calm her down as quickly as I can, but it causes the force of her emotions to hit me full on. I stumble, barely noticing it's Hagrid who holds me up as I calm her down, taking her emotions from her. It feels like a tidal wave crashing into my body over and over again, the sorrow and grief filling my mind until it's all I can think or feel, tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Alistair." A deep voice snaps me out of it. When I'm finally able to focus my eyes again, they land upon Snape.

"I-feel her… emotions." I mutter, locking eyes with his. He would understand. And I'm right.

"Hagrid, bring her to the infirmary. I'm coming with you." He orders, the last part directed more towards me. Hagrid is quick to lift me up in his arms, and I feel like a child again, so small in his huge arms. I hear Snape's footsteps beside us, the only thing that keeps me slightly grounded, but I still fade in and out of consciousness. We enter the castle, something I only notice because of it being slightly warmer in here, and after another while of walking we reach the infirmary. Hagrid lays me down onto a bed and I close my eyes, flashes of lightning appearing behind them.

"What's happenin'? Why're tha' lights flashin?" I hear Hagrid asks Snape.

"Her magic's running wild. She tried to take over some of the dragon's feelings." he explains, and I clench at the memory of the eggs being trampled. I feel something ignite in myself, and I feel like I'm floating for a moment, a bright light expanding from my body until it becomes too much and I pass out.

When I wake up, my head hurts in an all too familiar way. Slowly, I open my eyes, not surprised when I find myself in the infirmary. Immediately, I hear madame Pomfrey walk over to my bed.

"Good, you're up. Are you alright, dear?" She asks, scanning me up and down.

"I'm fine. Just a headache." I mutter, moving to sit upright.

"I'll get you something for that." She says before walking away.

"Good morning, Miss Leroy." I look up, surprised to see Professor Dumbledore walk inside with a smile on his face. Snape follows him, looking slightly less angry to be alive than usual.

"Good morning, Professors." I answer, frowning when I hear how hoarse my voice is.

"We would like to talk to you about what happened yesterday." Dumbledore says, moving to sit in the chair next to my bed, while Snape remains standing at my feet.

"Na-ah. Not until she drinks this!" Madame Pomfrey interrupts, handing me a nasty looking potion. I scrunch up my nose at it, until I realize Snape must've made it judging by the glare on his face, and I quickly pour it down my throat at once. I pull a face at the nasty taste, but feel better almost instantly.

"Now, could you tell us what happened yesterday?" Dumbledore asks.

"I tried to calm Aimen down, like you saw when we were in the forest. I tried to take over her emotions from her so she could calm down, but I couldn't take it." I explain, shrugging.

"And after that, back here? You floated in the air, and there was a light coming out of your body." Snape speaks up, frowning. Was he actually… concerned?

"Yeah, that thing. You see, there's something about my magic that has it running wild ever since I got here. Flames grow bigger, lights flash, I feel shocks of electricity… it's a sign that I have too much magic built up inside of me. Sometimes, it just comes out." I explain, a bit embarrassed.

"You don't have to be embarrassed." Dumbledore speaks, like he can read my mind.

"I am. I can't even control my magic, like an eleven year old." I scoff, rolling my eyes.

"It just means that you're incredibly powerful. I've never seen anything like this before." Snape answers, a strange look in his eyes.

"We would like to offer you help, Alistair. We can figure out a way to make you let go of your magic and make sure you have the privacy to do so every now and then." Dumbledore adds, making me hesitate.

"I guess that would be nice." I bring out eventually.

"We'll arrange something for you. Would you like it to be indoors or outside?" He asks, a smile appearing on his face.

"Outside. I don't think inside would be very safe." I say, making him nod.

"Alright, we'll leave you be. According to madame Pomfrey, you may leave as soon as you feel ready. Goodbye, Miss Leroy." Both stand up at Dumbledore's words, leaving me alone in the infirmary.


	11. take me out

**A/N: Hi guys! As you all know, it's corona-time :( I live in Belgium, and I have been in lockdown for a week or so? I don't really know, I lose track of time. It's a little boring, and my university is closing and giving online classes for the rest of the semester, which kinda sucks, but I get it. On a positive note: it gave me time to reread some chapters I had ready for you, and I also plan on writing some new ones, since I've got more than enough time now! I hope you guys like it, please feel free to send me your thoughts! I love hearing from you 3 Stay safe and be careful guys, especially in times like these. Enjoy! **

_"So if you're lonely_

_You know I'm here waiting for you_  
_I'm just a cross hair_  
_I'm just a shot away from you_  
_And if you leave here_  
_You leave me broken, shattered, I lie_  
_I'm just a cross hair_  
_I'm just a shot, then we can die_

_I know I won't be leaving here with you_

_I say don't you know_  
_You say you don't know_  
_I say, take me out!"_

Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand

I'm allowed to leave the infirmary the next day, which I'm very happy about. Niklaus and Viktor fuss over me, having been very worried about me, and in the days that follow I feel as if I have two bodyguards by my side at all times, which is endearing at first but ends up being slightly annoying. I also get quite a few stares and whispers cast my way the following days, but I ignore them, not really caring about what others might think. Harry and Ron seem to have made up, which is very relieving, and everything seems to be going back to normal. For his second task, all Harry got was a golden egg that made a horrible screeching sound when he opened it, which made him nervous about the following task, but Hermione even more. Charlie had to leave once more, which was sad, but I was glad to have seen him. One day, I get a note flown in by an owl. It's from Igor, who invites me to come to the ship for tea with him, something I'm very happy about.

"Karkarov-

Snape freezes up mid-sentence when he barges inside, eyes landing upon me and Igor havinga tea party.

"Yes?"Igor asks, raising an eyebrow at him. I can barely keep my face straight, taking a sip from my cup.

"I was looking for the girl everywhere! That boy Krum told me she was with you." He snaps, clearly annoyed. I look at my watch at that, eyes widening when I see the time.

"Shit, I'm so sorry! I forget all about my extra class, I lost track of time." I apologize. He keeps scowling, as I quickly drink up my tea.

"Calm down, Severus. Things like this happen." Igor says amusedly, fully knowing how annoyed he's making the Potions Professor. He looks like he can explode any moment, so I quickly put down my cup and hurry out of the room, hearing Snape slam the door behind me. The entire way down to the dungeons is filled with awkward silence. His strides are so big that I nearly have to jog to keep up with him. We enter the dungeon, and Iflinch when he slams the door behindhim, electricity flashing through the room.

"You should know better than to hang around former Deatheaters, not to mention his position as a Headmaster." Snape fires at me. I freeze up at that, shocked.

"Excuse me?" I bring out, eyes wide.

"You heard me. It's improper." He snaps, rummaging through his cabinets.

"Oh, really? I know that your record isn't very clean either, Mr. Former Spy. Tell me, are you just jealous or petty?" I ask, anger boiling inside of me.

"I'm not jealous. You didn't show up to your extra class, which was our agreement." He scoffs, whirling back to face me.

"I forgot, okay? It could happen to anyone." I argue, frustrated.

"No. You were just too busy getting attention, like you do with all the champions of this tournament and anyone else involved in it." He states.

I freeze up. He just crossed a line.

"Fine. I don't need your help if you act like a child." I state calmly.

"What do you think you're doing?" He asks angrily when I turn around and walk towards the door.

"Leaving." With that, I walk out of the door and slam it shut behind me, hearing the sound of cabinets exploding behind me, my magic running wild.

The following week, I'm deadly silent. I don't say a word in his class, refusing to ask anyone for help and focusing so hard that I manage to make the potion all by myself. I don't look at Snape, don't talk to him, I refuse to even acknowledge his very existence. I can tell it pisses him off, feel the dark eyes on me the entire time, but I ignore him harder than I've ever ignored anyone, pissing him off even more. During meals in the Great Hall, I spend my time laughing with Niklaus and Viktor, laughing even harder on purpose when I feel his eyes moving towards me. I even walk straight up to the teacher's table, only to ask Igor if he wants to meet after hours for a drink. He's sitting right next to Snape and clearly knows what's going on, according to how flirtatious he agrees to it. Snape's fuming by the time that I sashay back to my table, making sure to flip my hair dramatically. I could play this game a lot better than him. That is, until I'm called to Dumbledore's office. Shit.

It's after hours, so I'm wearing a blue hoodie and black sweatpants, sneakers underneath, as I make my way over to his office. When I find the statues, I whisper the password, 'gummy bears', and walk up the long flight of stairs, until I reach a door. I knock on it, and open it when I hear a 'come in' from inside. For a brief second, I freeze up when I see Dumbledore sitting behind his desk, Snape opposite him. Tense, I close the door before moving to sit down in the only free chair, next to Snape.

"Miss Leroy, how are you?" Dumbledore asks, his blue eyes meeting mine.

"I'm great, thanks for asking. And you?" I answer, looking everywhere but at Snape, whose eyes I can feel locked on me.

"I'm good, thank you for asking. You're here to talk about your magic. If you want, we can take you outside right now and you can do whatever you need to do." He explains, a kind look on his face.

"Sure, sounds great." Is my answer, and I flash him a smile.

"Wonderful. Now, there's one more thing I need to ask you about. I heard you're no longer attending your extra Potions lessons. Why's that?" He asks innocently. Anger flares up in my stomach at that, and I send a wave of heat through the room without realizing it. Quickly, I cool the room back down to its previous temperature, but they've noticed no doubt. That bastard! Did he really just go snitch, while he was the one who was wrong?!

"I don't want the lessons anymore. Professor Snape made it very clear what he really thought of me, so I won't be a bother to himany longer." I state, oddly calm. Inside, I was burning with rage, but I would be ice cold on the outside.

"Really? I didn't know that. What did he say, if I may ask?" Dumbledore asks, raising an eyebrow at Snape. I knew that annoying bat hadn't told him the entire truth! Well, if he thought I was going to lie for him, he was damn wrong!

"If I remember correctly, he told me that I was an attention-seeker, and specifically seeking it from anyone who has any part in this tournament." I say, not even sparing him a glance. Dumbledore remains silent at it, clearly surprised.

"And why did he say that?" Dumbledore asks eventually, making me smile.

"I was late for my extra class. I was having tea with Headmaster Karkarov, and I lost track of time. I'll admit that's my fault, but I tried to apologize when he came barging inside." I explain.

"And he didn't listen to your apology?" He asks, to verify it.

"Nowp. He just yelled at me that I'm an attention-seeker, so I left. I don't see any use in extra lessons when I'm personally attacked like that." At that, I throw Snape an accusing glance. He's looking stoical as always, but I can see the anger hidden behind his dark eyes.

"Is this true, Severus?" Dumbledore asks then, diverting his attention to him.

"Yes, but-

"No but's, that'll suffice. Apologize to the girl, and then you can continue your extra lessons. Would you agree to that, Miss Leroy?" Dumbledore interrupts him abruptly, turning to me. I can't help but smirk. He was so on my side!

"It would suffice, yes." I state, trying to remain serious.

"Very well, then. Severus?"

When the both of us turn to look at the Potions professor, expectantly, he looks like he's held at gunpoint.

"I… apologize." He brings out, gritting his teeth.

"For?" I ask, playing innocent. His expression hardens even more at that. When Dumbledore raises an eyebrow at him, Snape looks like he actually wants to die right now.

"For callingyou an attention-seeker. It was uncalled for and I hurt your feelings." He continues, dark eyes meeting mine.

"Your apology is accepted." I say after a moment, flashing him a smile. There you go, bastard, suck it up! I won.

"Very well. Now, shall we go outside?" Dumbledore suggests, standing up from behind his desk. We follow his move, and walk out of the office. .

Outside, it's rather cold, so there's no one around. It's already dark outside, and I guessed Dumbledore had chosen this time of the day so no one could see me, but I was practically freezing. Then, I think of how we're here for me to unleash my powers, and I use my magic to warm up the air surrounding the three of us. If they notice, they don't comment on it, and we continue in silence until we reach the lake. An uneasy feeling settles in my stomach, until I realize we're headed for the Whomping Willow. I wonder why we're here out of all places and not the forest, but watch as the Headmaster pulls out his wand and mutters a spell. A branch bursts from his wand, and he touches a certain knot in the trees roots. I'm surprised to see the tree stops moving altogether, freezing up. I follow Dumbledore as he hops into a hole at the base of the tree that I've never seen before, hopping in myself. I land a bit ungraciously at the bottom of the slide that was apparently there, and quickly scramble out of the way so Snape doesn't slide into me. I pout slightly when his landing is far more elegant than me, but continue to follow Dumbledore through the underground tunnel, feeling Snape's eyes on my back.

"This is the safest place we could find for you, Miss Leroy. It's far enough from the school not to raise any rumours." Dumbledore says, opening a door that's at the end of the tunnel. I'm surprised when I walk into an empty house, every single piece of furniture dusty and torn apart.

"Is this... the Shrieking Shack?" I ask when I look out of the window and see Hogsmeade a bit further down the hill.

"It is." Snape answers, taking me by surprise. I would've thought he'd be sulking over his loss the entire time we were here. I hum at his answer, walking through the house.

"Cozy." I note sarcastically, eyes watching a torn up couch. Severus scoffs at it.

"Remus Lupin, a former teacher at Hogwarts who was a werewolf, came here every full moon." Dumbledore says casually, flashing me a tiny smile.

"Well, that explains a lot." I say with a snicker, a lot more at ease now that I know that there isn't some monster that lives here.

"I can do whatever I want with this?" I ask after a moment, looking around. Dumbledore nods, and I can see a cautious look appear in Snape's eyes.

"Well, I suggest you take a step back then and protect yourselves." I say with a smile. Not even checking if they do so, I unleash my magic. A wave of power bursts through the room from where I'm standing in the middle of it, sending all the furniture flying, breaking against the walls. The entire house shakes, and I follow with even more waves, this time full of light and warmth. The house is lightened up briefly by red, yellow, green and blue, and I smile when I focus a bit more and a huge silver dragon bursts from my chest.

"Is that… your patronus?" Dumbledore asks, and I nod with a smile, watching as the image of Aimen soars through the room, roaring loudly. Silver fire bursts from her mouth, and then she's disappeared. My eyes land upon Snape, and there's a look of surprise in his eyes at the sight of what I can do. I hadn't really shown many people what I could, save for my mother and father.

I grin at him, focus, and the next second we're surrounded by green. Around us, I'd created a spitting image of a rainforest, birds chirping and other animals making strange noises, the sound of a waterfall filling the air. I can see Snape reaching for an exotic flower, only to move straight through the image with his hand.

"It's an illusion." I explain, switching the image to a desert. Dumbledore smiles, and the next second we're on top of the Eiffel tower, looking over Paris. I look up and when I focus once more the entire room is a black void, stars surrounding us. For a moment, I let it remain like that, finding the sight calming, and then I let the stars explode, a bright light filling the entire room, expanding from my body. After that, I find myself tired enough, my magic calming down to a softly humming pulse, moving from my body into the room, that now looks like it used to. I frown at the sight of the broken furniture, and when I use my magic, they repair themselves, floating through the air until they're in their rightful place once more.

"I think I'm done now." I say, turning to look at the professor and headmaster with a content smile.

"Very well." Dumbledore says, leading the way back to the tunnel. The entire way, I feel Snape's eyes on me, and when we reach the entrance doors, Dumbledore orders him to take me back to my common room before saying goodnight and leaving us alone. We walk in silence, him next to me, and I notice he's holding back slightly with his huge steps so I can keep up with him. I yawn when we walk up a flight of stairs, suddenly tired after releasing all that magic. When we reach the portrait, I turn around to face him, dark eyes meeting mine.

"Thank you for accompanying me, Professor." I say politely, not really knowing what else to do. He doesn't say anything, and I find it very awkward, so I move, planning to turn around to the portrait, when he speaks up.

"I will see you next week?" The words come out awkwardly, more a question than an order, and I find myself smiling inwardly when I realize I'm not the only one being awkward right now.

"Sounds good. Goodnight, Professor." I say, flashing him a soft smile before muttering the password to The Lady, the portrait swinging open. I glance back at him one last time before walking through the tunnel, the portrait closing behind me.


	12. let's dance

**A/N: Another chapter, hooray! This is one of my absolute FAVOURITE chapters I've written so far, and I promise you that there's more Severus than ever before! :D **

_"Let's dance_  
_Put on your red shoes and dance the blues_  
_Let's dance_  
_To the song they're playin' on the radio_  
_Let's sway_  
_While color lights up your face_  
_Let's sway_  
_Sway through the crowd to an empty space_

_If you say run_  
_I'll run with you_  
_And if you say hide_  
_We'll hide_  
_Because my love for you_  
_Would break my heart in two_  
_If you should fall into my arms_  
_And tremble like a flower_

_Let's dance_  
_Let's dance_  
_For fear your grace should fall_  
_Let's dance_  
_For fear tonight is all_  
_Let's sway_  
_You could look into my eyes_  
_Let's sway_  
_Under the moonlight, this serious moonlight"_

_Let's dance – David Bowie_

It was Saturday, 10 AM, and everyone seemed to be hanging around in the Great Hall, which surprises me. I myself stroll inside rather tiredly, burying my hands in the pockets of my pink oversized sweater. Yawning, I sit down at my usual spot, in between George and Fred.

"Hello, sunshine!" They say in unison, making me mutter a tired 'morning' back. Fred pulls my hoodie up so it covers my hair, whilst Ron slides a plate filled with bacon and eggs over to me.

"Thanks, Ron. You know what's good." I say with a grateful smile, then happily start my breakfast.

"You know it, Ali." He hums in agreement, returning to his own plate that's even fuller.

"You have cat ears on your hoodie! That's so adorable." Hermione notes, making me throw her a smile.

"Thanks, Hermione!" I mutter in between two bites.

"I think they're silly." George teases, flicking his fingers against one ear.

"I think they're rather special. I like it." Luna notes, happening to walk past us. I turn around to look up at her, beaming at the compliment.

"Thanks, Luna!"

"I would wear it myself if I had a sweater like that." She adds with that dreamy look of hers.

"If you want, we'll go get you one during Christmas break or something?" I offer, the smile that follows on her face making it totally worth it.

"I would very much like that." She decides, skipping off to God-knows-where.

"She's weird." Ron mumbles, making me frown at him.

"I like her." I state firmly, ending the conversation. Harry flashes me a smile at that, making me smile back. I knew he defended Luna as well, the sweet kid trying his best to be kind to her.

These past weeks had passed by in a blur. My extra lessons with Snape had continued and after a few awkward minutes, both of us remembering what happened the last time I was there, everything had returned to its normal business. Thanks to him, I got a lot better at Potions really fast, helping me improve to the point where I was finally able to follow along with the others in my class. I'd spent a lot of my time studying with Hermione and Viktor or with Harry when I wanted to give those two their privacy. I'd also spent quite some time with Niklaus, playing wizard chess (which I absolutely sucked at) or listening to music together. We stayed inside nowadays, for it had become too cold to hang out at our usual spot by the lake. Mostly, we hung around the fireplace in Durmstrang's ship, often being joined by Viktor and other friends they knew. So far, I was really enjoying my life.

"So, can anyone tell me why everyone's gathered here?" I ask after I finish my breakfast, taking a sip from my cup of chocolate milk.

"Snape's coming out of the closet!" George shouts jokingly, making multiple students at our table laugh loudly. I glance over to the teacher's table, seeing Snape who totally heard that, judging by the scowl that's on his face.

"Such a shame!" I exclaim even louder, faking a desperate sigh, causing the boys to make gagging noises. Snape throws me a scowl, making me grin before mouthing 'sorry'. He shakes his head, but leaves me be, returning to his breakfast, so a triumphant look reappears on my face.

"I still don't understand why he lets you get away with stuff like that." Harry mutters, locking eyes with me.

"Me neither, but let's be glad he does." I answer, winking at him. Harry laughs at it, returning to his food with a smile. I liked Harry. He wasn't really that much of a talker, seeming permanently lost in his own thoughts, but sometimes he could surprise me.

"So, can anyone actually answer my question? Why is everyone gathered here?" I resume, genuinely curious.

"Something about the Yule Ball!" Parvati answers from a few seats further, sounding excited.

"A ball? That's so 18th century." I mock, rolling my eyes playfully.

"It's so romantic!" She argues, sighing dreamily.

"Hermione, don't tell me your smart brain agrees with this." I ask, raising an eyebrow at the curly haired girl in front of me.

"Theoretically, no, but it does have a certain aesthetic like in romance novels." She admits, giving me a guilty smile.

"Ah, romance novels, my very own guilty pleasure." I answer, giving her a guilty smile.

"You? You like romance novels?" Ron asks, nearly choking on his food.

"Hell yeah! A knight in shining armour to save the damsel in distress… I love it." I admit, grinning widely.

"I never would've guessed… our Ali, reading sappy novels!" George exclaims, shaking his head with laughter.

"A girl has her secrets…" I say, sharing a knowing look with Hermione, who's grinning at me.

"Attention!" Dumbledore speaks up, making everyone turn silent straight away.

"With the Tri-Wizard Tournament comes the Yule Ball! To those of you who've never heard of such a thing: the Yule Ball is a Ball that's held to celebrate the chosen champions, and, of course, to have fun and enjoy yourselves. Students from the fourth year and above are allowed to attend, as are younger students who are invited by one of the older students. We encourage mixing with the other schools, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, for this ball is held for them as well!"

Whispers follow, filling the air with excitement. I raise an eyebrow, not very impressed yet. Alright, a ball was fancy, but from my experience, it was also very, very boring. I couldn't count how many times I'd been bored to death at a ball my parents had to attend and took me along. Often, Draco had been sitting right next to me, sighing out of boredom until we escaped our parents' eyes and went to play outside, or discover the mansion we were in. I smile at the memory.

"With the Yule Ball also comes the annual dance that all students have to participate in. This is why after breakfast, you will all be attending dance lessons that will be taught by your Head of House." Dumbledore adds, making me look up in surprise. McGonagall had a certain elegance that told me she might be an excellent dancer, but this also meant…

"Snape is going to teach Slytherin how to dance?!" The twins exclaim, making me turn to look at the teacher's table in surprise. Like he senses my eyes staring at him, Snape locks eyes with me, making me raise my eyebrows in surprise, snickering when he looks very displeased.

"Beauxbatons will be joining Ravenclaw, and Durmstrang will be joining Slytherin, as will Miss Leroy." Everyone turns to stare at me, and I'm confused myself, so I just shrug.

"Who knows? You might have to dance with Snape!" Fred snickers at his own words, grinning at me.

"I'd rather dance with Snape than having you step on my toes the entire time, Fred." I tease, making my table laugh.

"You're all dismissed, get to your Common Room as fast as you can, and make sure to have a lot of fun!" Dumbledore concludes, making everyone clap. I get up from my table, making my way through the crowd until I reach Slytherin's table. Niklaus is the first one I see, so I just walk over to him.

"Ali! Why don't you sit down?" He offers, making room for me. I smile, flattered when he offers his hand to help me sit down, not that I really needed it, but still. Niklaus could be such a gentleman and it never ceased to amaze me.

"Hey, Niklaus." I say once I'm seated, finding myself surprisingly close to him. He smiles, reaching out to push a stray lock of my hair behind my ear, making me smile at the gesture.

"So, I heard you'll be dancing with us. I can't say I mind that." He admits, a charming look on his face.

"You don't even know if I'm any good, though. Who knows, I might crush your feet!" I argue, giving him a light nudge with my shoulder.

"I highly doubt you can't dance, since Snape asked for you specifically to assist him in teaching these kids here how to do it." Niklaus answers smugly, raising an eyebrow.

"He did?" I ask, shocked.

"Yeah. Headmaster Karkarov told us that he overheard him arguing with Dumbledore, saying he didn't want to teach the Slytherins how to dance. Igor said that you were the best dancer he'd ever seen, and when Dumbledore suggested you could assist Snape, he agreed… reluctantly, but he agreed." Niklaus says, smirking.

"Slytherin and Durmstrang, I expect you to be in the Common Room in exactly 15 minutes." Snape's voice snarls over the noise of students talking excitedly about the announcement, making everyone get up as quickly as they can. I follow Niklaus when he helps me stand up, taking my hand to lead me through the crowd. I'm a bit surprised by the action, but don't complain, rather enjoying the feeling of his hand holding mine. It's larger than mine, but he's got elegant, long fingers. He's gentle but certain as he leads me and weaves through the other students. Soon enough, we've reached the dungeons, the wall that hides the entrance already open.

"Here, it's just down the steps, you gotta watch your head." Niklaus says, leading the way down the stairs. He clearly forgot that I'm a good head shorter than him, which means I have no problem with the ceiling whatsoever. When we reach the bottom of the stairs, we enter Slytherin's Common Room. Apparently, it's positioned underneath the lake, the large green tinted windows revealing an underwater scenery. That's so cool! There are all different kinds of seats and sofas that have been pushed against the walls, creating a lot of room in the middle so there can be danced. The Slytherins and Durmstrang boys are scattered across the room.

A lot of the Slytherins who notice my arrival stare at me in confusion, whereas the Durmstrang boys motion for Niklaus and I to join them, which we do. Draco throws me a smile, making me grin back, although I'm growing a tad nervous. Viktor joins us, sitting down next to me as well, wrapping an arm around my shoulder to give me a comforting squeeze. Before he can say anything, however, the doors to the common room close, Snape being the last person to walk inside, robes billowing behind him intimidatingly. His attire is a bit different than usual, though, the robes seeming more fit to be moving around a lot. Everyone turns silent, knowing not to anger him.

"As you all know now, the Yule Ball is being held soon. To my own immense pleasure, I am the one who has to teach you nitwits how to dance. Now, even though I'm particularly unhappy with this and despite me having better things to do, I still expect you will make our House and school proud. As for Durmstrang, I suppose the same thing applies to you, although your Headmaster had some more pressing matters to attend to." Snape says, scowling. I only barely manage to hold back my laughter. Knowing Igor, he was off charming witches and drinking Firewhiskey at Hogsmeade. The boys seem to groan inwardly at the thought of having to dance, whereas the girls seem rather excited. I also notice that Snape's a lot less mean towards the Slytherins, more so serious and stern. When silence falls, he scans the crowd, his gaze soon falling upon me.

"Miss Leroy, you will assist me and will figure as my dance partner. Do you think you can do that?" He asks, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Yes, Sir." I say, making sure my voice doesn't waver. If he thought I was good enough to assist him, I could at least try to do it as best as I could. I mean, my Mother had sent me on lots of dancing classes when I was younger and I knew that I wasn't the worst, but that had been a long time ago. It wasn't like I waltzed in my free time just for fun. He nods approvingly.

"In that case, we can begin." He says, taking a look around the room to make sure everyone's paying attention. Even if they weren't before, they surely are now, knowing a Gryffindor out of all people has to show them how it's done. He walks towards me and I freeze up, nerves striking me, and I'm suddenly unable to tear my eyes away from him.

"Dancing isn't just moving your feet in a certain pattern. Boys, you have to make the girl who's your partner feel like she is a queen, and you shall treat her like one too. Your task is to make her shine, not to shine yourself. She is the centre of your attention from the moment you ask her for a dance." He speaks, everyone hanging onto his every word. All I can do is stare into those dark eyes.

"May I have this dance, Miss Leroy?" He asks, halting in front of me, offering his hand. I swallow harshly, then carefully place my hand in his, pushing down my nerves. He helps me up swiftly, leading me towards the centre of the room. With a flick of his wand, music starts to play.

"You'll have to step closer for this to work, Miss Leroy." He says after pausing for a moment. Someone snickers, and Snape glares at the person that's seated behind me, effectively shutting him up. I focus on the classical music that floats into the room. I hesitate for a second, then take a step closer. He takes my right hand in his and gently puts the other hand on my waist, making my stomach turn. I nearly choke on my own tongue when he pulls me closer, our bodies now touching.

"Are you okay?" He asks, and I look up at him before nodding, afraid that my voice will tremble if I say something. He stares at me for a moment, the tiniest of smiles appearing on his face, and I wonder exactly how good he is at this.

"On my count. One, two, and-" He leads, before swiftly moving. I follow his lead, allowing his strong arms to lead me in the right directions, my feet automatically following. Right now, I'm really grateful for those dance classes, because Snape truly is a formidable partner. It doesn't take me long to remember the steps, for I had always enjoyed the classes, and I relax slightly, trying to enjoy this instead of freaking out because of Snape. Dancing. With me. Deep breaths, Ali, deep breaths.

I look up, locking eyes with him, and a tiny smile appears on my face, growing slightly more comfortable. When he lifts his hand, the other letting me go to twirl me around, I do as I'm told, elegantly spinning around. Some students clap at that, making my smile grow bigger. Snape pulls me back in his arms, then dips me over his arm slowly. I hear gasps as I close my eyes and trust him fully, allowing him to bend me over his arm until my hair grazes the floor, bending my knee so my leg's at 90 degrees like it's supposed to. His hands, one grabbing the back of my knee, the other underneath my back, are the only thing that keeps me from falling like a rock, and I open my eyes. Students gasp, his dark eyes meet mine, and then he lifts me back up quickly, continuing our waltz with ease. I take a deep breath. He's by far the best dance partner I've ever had, telling me what to do with only his touch, no words needed between us. For what feels like eternity, I let myself be spun around and dance how he wants me to dance, focusing on him and him only. When the song comes to an end, he grabs my waist with both hands, lifts me up and spins me around in the air, before slowly letting me slide down against his body, his hands leading me down confidently, until I'm standing on my tip toes, my nose nearly touching his. The music stops, students start to clap and cheer, and I have to shake myself awake, lost in his dark eyes for a moment.

"Now it's up to you." Snape says, making everyone get up, quickly finding a partner.

"Thank you for the dance, Professor." I say politely, bowing my head at him. He does the same, locking eyes with me once more.

"I don't regret asking for your assistance." He states, surprising me. Then, he walks away from me, and I remain where I am, frozen in place. Weird. Did he just compliment my dancing? Anyways, Niklaus is by my side in no time, claiming it's his turn now. I smile at it.

"Don't you dare step on my toes, Niklaus." I warn him playfully, making him chuckle.

"It seems like you've forgotten that I'm the Bulgarian Prince. I've been following dance lessons from the moment I could walk." He says with a smug look on his face. Ah, yes, I totally forgot about that part.

"Let's see if you can keep up with me, then." I say with a grin, stepping closer to him. Niklaus puts a hand on my waist, the other taking my hand in his, and we begin to dance. It's surprisingly comfortable to be this close to him, and I no longer have the nerves I had when I danced with Snape. Niklaus is a great dancer, relaxed in his leading, occasionally twirling me around but not showing off too much, which I appreciate. I'm having a lot of fun, laughing about the things he says to me.

"Ali?" He eventually asks, turning more serious.

"Yeah?" I ask, looking up into his blue eyes.

"I-I was wondering if you'd like to have a picnic with me tomorrow?" He asks, seeming slightly nervous.

"You mean, like a lunch date?" I ask, surprised.

"Y-Yeah, I mean, only if you want to…"

"Of course! Sounds nice." I say, giving him a grin. He smiles at that, and the song comes to an end.

"Great! Meet me at our spot from last time at 12?" He suggests, and I nod, making him grin.

"I look forward to it." I say with a smile, then let go of him.

"Ali! My turn." Draco appears next to me, and I chuckle when he takes me into his arms and we start dancing.

"How have you been?" I ask, smiling up at him.

"Good, you?" He asks, glancing down at me for a moment before twirling me around.

"Yeah. We haven't hung out in a while." I answer when I'm back in position.

"You seem rather busy already without me bugging you to hang out. Thought I'd give you some space." Draco answers with a shrug.

"You're my friend, Draco. I'm never too busy for you." He smiles at that.

"I'm glad, you know. Still, I wouldn't want your boyfriend to get jealous." He adds a wink to the last part.

"Who?" I ask, laughing.

"The Prince, of course. He was looking very sour when you were dancing with Snape." He answers with a smirk.

"Really? Well, we're just friends I guess. He did ask me out to a picnic tomorrow." I muse, moving to the beat.

"He's definitely into you, Ali. Anyone can see that. Question is, do you like him too?" Draco states, giving me a pointed look before spinning me around once more.

"I don't know, Draco. He's really nice to me and funny, but I hardly see him here already. Plus, it would never work long term, considering he's the prince of freaking Romania and we'd be studying far away from each other." I ramble, shrugging at the end.

"But you've considered it. Otherwise you wouldn't have that answer ready for me." He argues, raising an eyebrow at me. I fall silent at that. That sly bastard.

"Just have a little fun, Ali. You can always figure out what to do later." He offers, giving me a smile. I nod at that, allowing him to twirl me around one last time before the music stops, and he lets go of me.

"Ali." Before I know what's going on, Vik pulls me into his strong hold, leaving Draco behind with a smile on his face.

"Please don't tell me you're going to talk to me about Niklaus as well." I say with a sigh, allowing him to pull me close nonetheless.

"Oh, no. He already talks my ears off about you enough. I wanted to ask you for help." He assures me, making me perk up curiously.

"What do you need my help for?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at him. My curiosity only grows bigger when I see the nervousness in his eyes.

"Hermione… is she seeing someone?"

"Hermione?" I ask, surprised when he nods.

"Well, no. Do you like her?!" I ask, a grin spreading on my face rapidly.

"She's pretty, and very smart. We've talked at the library a couple of times. So yes. I… want to ask her to be my date for the Yule Ball."

"Vik, that's great! She's a great girl, God, she deserves a good guy like you to ask her for the ball! Shit, you want my help to ask her? This explains why she was your person to get out of the lake!" He pulls a face at my excited rambling, so I stop.

"Can you please help? I have no clue what to do." He asks, desperately.

"Sure thing! You can count me in, Vik."


	13. boyfriend

**A/N: Finally, the moment we've all been waiting for (I have at least): The Yule Ball! Lots of dancing, lots of smiling, and who knows... maybe a kiss? Anyways, enjoy! **

_"I've been looking for somebody_  
_Tryna kick it with somebody_  
_I need a rude boy to tell me something sweet_  
_Same time got his hands up on my body_  
_I wanna get high when he take it low-low_  
_Let me feel strong when I'm taking control_  
_I've been looking for my shawty_  
_So come and get it if you got it_

_All my girls 'round the world, I know you know what I mean_  
_I get a little sexy when I'm lonely_  
_One thing on my mind, I know what I need_  
_All my girls 'round the world, hands up and sing it with me_  
_'Cause everything I got, you know it's all me_  
_Even though a man ain't something I need_

_I want a boyfriend, so put it on me_  
_I'm looking for a man who can take that heat_  
_Want a boyfriend, but not too sweet_  
_My baby gotta be tough while he running that street_  
_Is he ride or die?_  
_I've been looking so long for a guy to turn me on_  
_I want a boyfriend, yeah, yeah_  
_I want a boyfriend, yeah_  
_I been looking like"_

_Boyfriend - Mabel _

The following weeks are hella busy. You have the usual homework, combined with my extra Potions lessons and trying to set Harry up with someone other than Cho Chang, considering Cedric already asked her, bustling around to point out certain girls here and there. Eventually, he and Ron settle on asking the Patil twins, so I guess that's good.

I'm also incredibly busy helping out Vik with his plan to ask Hermione out, which is a total success, thank God.

I'm hiding behind one of the bookshelves in the restricted section, occasionally taking sneaky glances around the corner to see how Vik's doing. I'd told him Hermione would want something simple but romantic, hence why we were in her favourite place, the place I'd introduced them: the library.

"What… are you doing here, hiding in the restricted section, Miss Leroy?" I jump, spinning around to find professor Snape standing there.

"Shit, professor, you scared me!" I exclaim, sighing.

"That does not answer my question. What are you doing here?" He asks, not very impressed.

"I'm here to watch my plan succeed! Vik's asking Hermione to the ball, we've been working on the idea for a week." I explain, unable to prevent a grin from appearing on my face. When I peer around the corner, I'm surprised when he follows me, taking a look at the two myself.

"What's he doing?" Snape asks when Viktor hands her the book.

"It's a copy of the first book they read together. We've marked the first letter of 24 chapters with a red hearts , if she puts those letters together, it says 'Will you go to the ball with me?'" I explain with a grin, watching as Hermione begins to search for the marked letters eagerly.

"How thoughtful." Snape mutters.

"It's fucking romantic. I wish someone would do that kind of corny stuff for me." I state, watching Vik's nervous look.

"You do?" I can practically hear the raised eyebrow in his voice.

"You sound surprised." I mutter back.

"I didn't expect you to be a silly romantic."

"I believe you call it a hopeless romantic." He scoffs at that, but I ignore him, seeing Hermione close the book and beam up at him, saying 'yes'. I turn around when they hug, a smug look on my face.

"Once more, I have succeeded in my matchmaking plans!" I exclaim, grinning up at Snape.

"Very well, but now you must leave the Restricted Section. I know you don't have permission to be here." Snape orders, and I rush off, flashing him a last smile.

"Hey." I plop down onto the blanket next to Niklaus, sighing deeply.

"You okay?" He asks, glancing amusedly at me.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm just very busy." I admit, turning to lie on my side so I can watch him.

"Well, time for you to relax now. The house elves were so kind to help me make lunch." He says, smiling when I sit up, noticing the basket. He hands me a sandwich, and I take it eagerly, the both of us beginning to eat in silence.

"So, how are you feeling about the Yule Ball?" Niklaus eventually asks when we're finished. I'm sitting next to him, my head resting on his shoulder, his arm wrapped around me.

"Excited. It seems like fun, dancing and laughing with my friends all night long. Also, I can see Hermione and Vik dance together." I say, smiling.

"And do you have a date already?" He asks, sounding nervous.

"No, I don't." I answer honestly.

"Why not?"

"Because no one asked me yet." I admit, shrugging against him.

"Good. I have something for you." He sighs in relief, moving away from me for a second. I watch as he reaches into the basket once more. My heart skips a beat when he hands me a small gift, wrapped in dark red wrapping paper, a silver bow on top.

"Open it." He says, urging me with a smile. I open it carefully, gasping when I see what it is.

"You got me an iPod?" I ask him, eyes wide when I look up at him.

"I know you don't have one. This way you can listen Muggle music at Hogwarts as well." He says, smiling secretively at me.

"This is too much." I state, staring at him.

"It's not. Turn it on, I put some music in it for you." He urges, grabbing a hand with his. I turn the device on, he'd taught me how to do it when he first played me his 80's music, the two of us often just listening to music together, sharing a pair of earphones. I open the playlist, and freeze up when I see the song titles. Together, they form a sentence.

'Will you go to the ball with me?'

I look up from the device, into his blue eyes.

"So, what do you say? Will you go to the ball with me?" He asks, rather nervous.

"Yes!" I exclaim, pulling him into a hug. He chuckles at it, strong arms wrapping around me in return, holding me there.

"I'm SO nervous, I just can't take it anymore!" Lavender Brown squeals, making me chuckle from where I'm helping Hermione with her impossible bush of hair, as Lavender paces around the room, searching for various things: her makeup, her earrings, her hair clasp… that girl was impossible, I didn't know how she could just leave everything all over the place like that!

"There you go, Hermione, we're done. You look stunning!" I say, smiling at her through the mirror. She truly looked gorgeous in a way I'd never seen her before, and it had taken us a lot of work, but I was happy with the result.

"You think Viktor will like it?" She asks softly, and I can see the nerves in her eyes.

"I know he will, don't worry. You're gorgeous, and smart, and you'll have tons of fun tonight." I assure her, and she seems to calm down a little at that. Lavender's still panicking, and when I focus my magic and send it throughout the room, I quickly locate the lip-gloss she's been looking for. Levitating it with my mind, I send it flying right in front of her on the bed.

"Oh, it was right here, how silly of me!" she exclaims, making me shake my head.

"Hermione, Alistair, Lavender, we have to leave in 5 minutes or we'll be late!" Parvati exclaims, bursting into the room.

"SHIT!" We all exclaim simultaneously, and I hurry to my wardrobe, grabbing my heels and putting them on. I'm checking my makeup in the mirror, reapplying some lipstick when Parvati enters again, saying it's time. I quickly help Hermione get up, and smiling, we leave the room.

"Ali?" Hermione whispers as we're on our way to leave the common room.

"Yeah?" I answer, following her through the tunnel.

"I'm so nervous." She admits, flashing me a nervous look.

"Don't be, everything will be just fine." I assure her, taking her hand to squeeze it softly.

"Aren't you nervous?" She asks curiously.

"Only a little. Don't worry, just focus on having fun." I whisper with a smile, and she smiles back a me. We had a ball to attend.

-Severus' POV-

She looks radiant. It's the only word he can think of when he sees her make her way into the ballroom, escorted by Prince Niklaus, right behind the four champions with their partners. She's dressed in a killer shade of red, Gryffindor red, with a dress that shows off her shoulders and collar bones, the long sleeves narrowly enclosing her wrists. Her high heels match the colour of her dress, and she doesn't look so tiny anymore, carrying herself with elegance. Her hair's being held up with pins, a few strands that have been curled for the occasion framing her face. He even notices the makeup, subtle but definitely complimenting her natural beauty, red and gold eyeshadow nearly making him roll his eyes at her probably unintentional house pride. There's a dazzling smile on her face, and if he wasn't so shocked he would've told her off for the wink she gives him when she catches his gaze, making him scowl. Still, he watches as she begins to dance with Niklaus, graciously being led across the dancefloor.

He's surprised, he'll admit. Anyone could tell the girl was pretty, sure, but now, seeing her in something else than baggy sweaters or robes? He forces himself to look away, only to scowl when Dumbledore's gaze meets his, a twinkle in the old man's eyes. He'd seen him staring at her for sure. Eventually, his gaze finds her once more, as she's being lifted in the air by her partner, the boy entranced by her. He remembers holding her like that, but quickly tries to think of something else.

Soon, the dance ends, and he glares subconsciously when the boy presses a kiss to her cheek, making her giggle. The torture of foolish teenagers. He's surprised when she says something to the boy with a sweet smile before walking over into his direction, until he realizes bloody Karkarov is standing beside him.

"You clean up nicely, Professor." She says with a cheeky grin as she reaches them, locking eyes with him, and he flashes her a warning look automatically, which only amuses her more.

"Miss Leroy." He finds himself greeting her nonetheless.

"Speak for yourself. You look like a goddess!" Severus now actually rolls his eyes, watching how his former co-Deatheater pulls her into his arms eagerly, even pressing a kiss to her temple. The nerve.

"Thanks, Igor. You look good too." She says when he lets go of her, a damned blush on her cheeks. The three are distracted for a moment as teachers start moving to the dancefloor.

"Miss Leroy, why don't you accompany professor Snape for this dance? We're all very curious to see how your partnering is, considering all the raving reviews I've gotten from both Slytherin and Durmstrang." Dumbledore says subtly before being led to the dancefloor by Minerva, and Severus swears he could kill the old man right now.

"Can't deny an order from the Headmaster, can we?" Alistair says then, shrugging at him. He just looks at her, but is surprised when she smiles at it. Then, she offers her hand.

"Professor Snape, would you do me the honour of dancing with me?" She asks, failing miserably at trying to maintain a stern look on her face. His lips curl up into the faintest of smiles, and he sighs before allowing her to grab his hand, dragging him along to the dancefloor.

Dancing with her once more feels natural, a hand on her waist, the other holding her hand in his, the way her hand is splayed against his chest, and for a moment he's worried about whether others can see how relaxed he is around her. Then, he decides he can at least give himself this and simply enjoy it, even if it's for one dance.

"So, how come you're such a good dancer?" She asks after a while. When she looks up into his eyes, he sees the pure curiosity in hers. She wasn't one who would ask things because of ulterior motives, but because she wanted to know, and he wasn't quite used to it. He thinks of how Narcissa and Lucius had taught him, because it was essential to dance and be able to gain information that way as a spy.

"It's... complicated." He answers, glancing down at her with a blank face before spinning her around.

"You mean that it had to do with You-Know-Who." She states, but there's no judgment in her eyes.

"You know too much." He answers, finding himself unable to be worried about that for some reason.

"Yeah, maybe you're right about that." She mutters, and a dark look flashes across her face briefly. He frowns, not wanting to see her upset on a day like this, so he quickly dips her over his arm, and when he pulls her back up he's glad to see that smile back on her face.

"Let's not think of sad things. Enjoy this evening, it only lasts so long." He finds himself ordering her, and she nods obediently, smiling up at him. They dance in comfortable silence a while longer, until the last note finally plays.

"Thank you for the dance, Professor." She says politely, curtsying for him.

"Have a nice evening, miss Leroy." He answers, a small smile appearing on his face. After that, she walks away, and he walks back to the teacher's table.

-Ali's POV-

I take a deep breath as I walk over to where I see Niklaus standing, already waiting for me. God, that professor could dance.

"Ready? I thought Snape would never let go of you." He says teasingly, making me smack is arm playfully.

"I'm all yours now." I say, making a sweet smile appear on his face.

"You bet. I'm not letting you go now." He says, taking my hand. And he's pretty right about that. I spend almost the entire evening in his arms, on the dancefloor, save for some trips to the bar or a five minute break after a particularly fast song. Hermione is beautiful in her blue (BLUE!) dress, Viktor looking at her like she's the most precious thing he's ever seen as he twirls her around in his arms. Neville is a surprisingly good dancer, and I'm so glad he asked Ginny to be his partner, considering the bright smile that not once leaves her lips. Harry and Ron are brooding, grumpily sitting at a table, their dates having left them, not that I could blame the girls. They were a buzzkill. Ron and Hermione even get into a fight, because Ron is so overly jealous it's even making me annoyed, which ruins the night for Hermione and Vik, who gives me a sad smile.

Nonetheless, I try to have as much fun as I can. After a while, the music changes, and there's even a DJ who plays Muggle songs after the Weird Sisters performed, and Niklaus tries his best to keep up with me and some others, mostly Muggleborns, as we dance the 'Macarena'. When I look over to the teacher's table, in the middle of the dance, Snape is staring at me like he's never seen anything so strange in his life, making me laugh.

"Muggles are weird." Niklaus breathes out when we stumble off the dancefloor. I laugh at that, grabbing his arm to steady myself.

"You did great, for a first time!" I say with a grin, making him scowl playfully.

"Do you want to get some fresh air?" He asks, offering his hand with a smile.

"Sure, it's hot in here." I answer, taking his hand. I follow him through the room, and take a deep breath when we walk outside, into the garden. The place has been decorated beautifully, with fireflies and floating candles lighting up the dark sky, and we walk over to a small gazebo, a white bench placed underneath it.

"Are you enjoying yourself tonight?" Niklaus asks when we sit down on it, flashing me a smile, blue eyes meeting mine.

"It's amazing. Thanks for asking me to be your date." I answer with a smile of my own. When I shiver, the cold air hitting my bare shoulders, he quickly shrugs off his jacket, wrapping me in it before he pulls me closer into his side. I can feel my cheeks turn red at it, my heart skipping a beat. I lean into him, huddling closer for the warmth, and smile up at him. Suddenly, I freeze up when I notice what's hanging above us, making Niklaus follow my gaze.

"Mistletoe." He mutters, and when I look back at him I can tell his cheeks are red now too. I nod, my stomach doing a somersault. He places a hand on my cheek, and I automatically lean in, placing a hand on his shoulder carefully. He moves closer, and I close my eyes, allowing him to cross the distance between us and kiss me. My heart skips a beat as our lips touch, and I'm pretty sure my nerves will kill me soon.

"I'm telling you, Snape, You-Know-Who's returning…!"

We scoot apart as fast as we can, but it's too late. When I turn my head, I find Snape and Karkarov standing there, frozen as they stare at us. Shit. I can feel my cheeks turn bright red, quickly looking down at the ground.

"Ah, young love. You should be getting back inside, before either of you catch a cold." Igor says, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

"Y-Yeah, we-we were about to… to leave. S-Sorry." I stutter, flustered, even getting worse when I see Snape's death stare. Niklaus quickly grabs my hand, dragging me back inside. Only when we're inside again, warmth hitting me welcomingly, I'm able to breathe again.

"We should try that again sometime, without professors lurking about." Niklaus says, giving me a cheeky smile.

"Yeah, for sure." I answer, still slightly breathless, making him pull me into a hug, his chuckles rumbling through his chest.


	14. it's the most wonderful time of the year

**A/N: It's Christmas, y'all! Just kidding, it's only Christmas in the story, right now it's the end of March. This is the last chapter I'm posting tonight, I'll try to make sure more follow soon! I hope you guys like it 3 **

_"It's the most wonderful time of the year_  
_With the kids jingle belling_  
_And everyone telling you be of good cheer_  
_It's the most wonderful time of the year_

_It's the hap-happiest season of all_  
_With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings_  
_When friends come to call_  
_It's the hap-happiest season of all_

_There'll be parties for hosting_  
_Marshmallows for toasting_  
_And caroling out in the snow_  
_There'll be scary ghost stories_  
_And tales of the glories of_  
_Christmases long, long ago_

_It's the most wonderful time of the year_  
_There'll be much mistltoeing_  
_And hearts will be glowing_  
_When loved ones are near_  
_It's the most wonderful time of the year"_

_It's the most wonderful time of the year - Andy Williams_

Christmas break arrives soon after the ball. I say goodbye to Niklaus and Vik, and spend the ride back home with Neville (Harry, Ron and Hermione are staying at the castle), whom I have an interesting conversation with, about certain plants and their effect on animals. When we arrive at King's Cross Station, I'm happy to find my mother and father waiting for me next to Draco's parents. As I get off the train, I say goodbye to Neville, hugging him quickly before running over to my parents.

"Mom! Dad!" I exclaim, rushing into my father's already opened arms. When I pull back, his grin is identical to my own, and he ushers me into my mom's arms, making me smile when she presses a kiss to my forehead.

"We missed you so much, darling." Mom says, making me squeeze her before letting go.

"You'll love the Pigmypuffs!" Dad adds, still grinning like a maniac.

"Looks like you've found our parents already." Draco speaks up, walking past me with a grin, retrieving a kiss from his mother and a nod from Lucius.

"I did! It's nice seeing you again, Mr and Mrs. Malfoy." I greet his parents with a polite smile.

"It's good seeing you again as well, dear. We've invited you and your parents to our annual New Year's Ball." Narcissa says with a smile.

"Awesome! I'll see you then, Draco." I say, flashing the white haired boy a grin before leaving after my parents say their goodbyes.

The vacation flies by. I spend a lot of time finding gifts for all of my friends and sending them to them in time. I get Harry a warm dark red sweater, having noticed he doesn't have that many clothes, a book for Hermione that she'd been gushing over for weeks, and a home-baked cake big enough to feed his entire family to Ron, knowing he'd eat it all by himself anyway. I even enchanted it to make sure nothing could ruin it on the way to Hogwarts. For Fred and George, I got a present which exploded, to reveal a book on pranks I was certain they'd like, studying the more practical way of creating certain jokes. I got Ginny a nice pair of earrings I was sure she'd like, along with a gift card from the piercer who did my ears, considering she'd been talking my ears off about asking her Mom to get her ears pierced ever since she saw mine. I sent Bill a Muggle made sculpture of a tiny dragon, having enchanted it so it moved and actually breathed fire, and a Snitch for Viktor, knowing he wanted one to keep in his room, hence why I made it slower. I sent Igor a bottle of Firewhiskey, and Draco a toy car he'd been talking about (strangely enough, he was into that stuff), and the cat sweater Luna had complimented me on, having found a bright yellow version of it in the store I got it from. Lastly, I send Niklaus a few pictures of us I printed and enchanted, along with a record of David Bowie I knew he'd like. I also write him a letter, telling him that I miss him (corny, yes, I know). I knew it were a lot of gifts, but I'd worked at a tavern last Summer for a reason, and I felt like it was a way to express my gratitude for their friendship.

I celebrate Christmas with my entire family, all of us meeting up at my grandmother's house. I spend the time playing with my little cousins, entertaining them by making projections of anything they want, until it's time for dinner. I love Christmas, and I love spending time with my family. I catch up with my dad, roaming our grounds for creatures and having an improvised snowball fight, until I use my magic to defeat him with 10 snowballs hitting him at the same time. My mom is happy to see me as well, often asking me to help her in the kitchen, or the two of us peacefully reading a book by the fireplace when dad is off to work. Soon enough, it's time for the Malfoys' Annual New Year Ball, and I admit I'm quite looking forward to it. I didn't like the people who acted like they were better than someone else, but nonetheless their parties were infamous, and it would give me the chance to catch up with Draco again.

"Ali, are you ready honey?!" My mom shouts from downstairs, making me jump.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a sec!" I yell back, finishing applying my nude lipstick. I check myself in the mirror once more to make sure my hair's alright, before hurrying down the stairs, holding my silver heels in my hand.

"How do I look?" I ask as I reach the bottom of the stairs, where my parents had been waiting for me. My mom was wearing a stunning silver gown, with a small trail and all, looking gorgeous as always. My dad was in a dark green suit, classy, a big grin on his face.

"You look great!" Mom exclaims as Dad wraps an arm around me, squeezing me tight. Mom had bought me a fancy, dark green dress, with silver details on the collar and cuffs. It was a bodycon dress that ended just above my knees, hugging my figure tightly. I quickly put on my silver heels, which are more sandals than pumps, and follow my parents outside, where we Apparate together, my dad holding my mom and I. When we reappear, we're outside Malfoy Manor, in the designated Apparition area. There's already tons of people walking towards the entrance, laughter filling the air. I walk next to my dad as we make our way inside the ballroom, smiling when I see the decorations. The room is lighted up with floating stars that shine brightly, a huge Christmas tree in the corner, the ceiling bewitched like at Hogwarts so we can watch the fireworks later, dark green table cloths and silver everything, the entire room screaming 'rich' and 'elegance'. I was kind of used to this, however, considering it was like this every year when it came to the Malfoys.

"Angela, you made it!" Narcissa exclaims, appearing out of nowhere. My mother kisses her on the cheek, smiling at the sight of her friend.

"And William, you look very charming." She adds when my dad kisses her on the cheek as well.

"It's all thanks to Angie. She forced me in this suit." Dad says jokingly, making her chuckle.

"Oh, and Alistair! You look gorgeous." Narcissa says, then pulls me into a hug.

"Ah, darling, Severus has arrived!" Lucius walks over to us, bringing along a very familiar face.

"Severus, wonderful to see you! And in a suit!" Narcissa exclaims, and I can see a scowl on Snape's face when she places a kiss on his cheek. How amusing! She was right though: he did clean up rather nicely, dressed in a sleek black suit.

"Miss Leroy. I'm surprised to see you here." Snape then says, directing his attention to me, which surprises me. I would've guessed he'd just awkwardly ignore the hell out of me or something. Nice.

"Hello, Professor Snape." I greet politely, smiling up at him.

"Didn't you know? Alistair is the daughter of Angela and William Leroy. She was in Slytherin with us, and he is a famous researcher in the fields of Herbology and Magical Beasts." Narcissa explains quickly, eager to have found more connections and to be able to explain something.

"Pleasure to meet you, Professor Snape." My mother says, politely shaking his hand.

"You're Alistair's Potions professor, then? She's told us a lot about you." My father adds, shaking his as well.

"Did she now?" Snape asks, sounding amused.

"She did. I'm very interested in the way magical creatures react to certain herbs and potions, you see. She told me about the use of bezoars. Speaking of that, thank you for teaching her extra classes. She can really use it." My dad says, making my cheeks turn red.

"Dad, I'm getting better, you know!" I complain, rolling my eyes at him.

"She is. Your daughter knows a lot about magical creatures, so I suppose she has that from you." Snape adds, making me stare at him, cheeks turning redder. I'm not sure if I've ever heard him talk this much, let alone about me!

"Ali, you're here! C'mon, I have your Christmas present!" Draco interrupts us, dragging me away from both our parents and Snape before I can say anything.

The rest of the evening passes by in a blur, really. Draco got me a silver necklace with a small, circular pendant, which was so sweet of him. He's also very happy with the toy car I got him. After that, we spend our time together, eating snacks in the ballroom and drinking champagne, our parents too busy to even notice us. We even dance a couple of times, having fun with just the two of us amongst the other 'adults'. My eyes meet Snape's a few more times throughout the evening, but I don't have the chance to say anything to him anymore. When midnight approaches, I do the countdown with Draco, his parents and my own parents, cheering as fireworks explode above our heads exactly at 12. It was a perfect party.


	15. yellow hearts

**A/N: Hi y'all! I hope you're doing well, considering the strange situation we're all in. As you all know, the entire world is dealing with the coronavirus, and it's the same in my country, Belgium. I know it's not easy, I myself am drowning in school work, since my university does not really seem to care and thinks we can just learn the same amount in these times, fml. Right now, I'm also working at a company to check people's temperatures before they go to their work. It's nightwork, from midnight till 8am, but it's something, and i need to pay my rent, so :) Anyways, i've found some time to write some more chapters, and I hope you guys like it 3 **

**PS: Today's my birthday as well, it's not how I imagined it would be, but I live with my boyfriend, so at least I have someone to celebrate with :D **

**PPS: Enjoy the chapter! **

_"She put my name with yellow hearts, uh_  
_Her favorite color like the stars_  
_I didn't listen very hard, uh_  
_When she told me she was crazy from the start_  
_She put my name with yellow hearts, uh (yeah, she did)_  
_I said she was a work of art (work of art)_  
_I didn't listen very hard (very hard, no no)_  
_When she told me she was crazy from the start"_

Christmas break ended quickly. On the one hand, I wished the break would last even longer, so I could spend more time with my family, but on the other hand, I quite missed my friends and Niklaus. I spend my way to Hogwarts with Draco, claiming a compartment of our own to get some much needed quality time. We talk about what we did during our break, and just have a good time, laughing and smiling until we arrive at Hogwarts. I say goodbye to him as I enter the castle, his friends calling for him, and when I enter the Great Hall by myself I barely realize what's going on when someone lifts me up, spinning me around.

"Cam, I missed you!" Niklaus exclaims, and I smile widely when my eyes land upon his Royal Handsomeness, quickly pulling him into a hug when he puts me down. When I look up at him, and see the look of happiness in his eyes, my heart bursts with joy, and I quickly press a sweet kiss to his lips, taking him by surprise. He smiles, and then tells me to go see my friends first during dinner. He also sneakily slips a piece of paper in my hand, and I stuff it into my pocket with a blush on my cheeks.

When I make my way over to Gryffindor's table, I'm immediately surrounded by Fred and George, who drag me along to where everyone's seated.

"Thanks for the present, princess! We love it." Fred whispers, flashing me a big grin.

"Sorry we didn't think of getting you one, it's a little tight at home…" George adds, apologizing.

"That's fine, guys, I didn't expect anything in return. I'm glad you like it." I say to them with a smile, making them smile back in relief. I sit down next to Harry, who gives me a smile.

"Hey, Ali! How was your vacation?" He asks, making me smile back at him.

"It was great! I mostly spent time with my family, which was nice. How was it here?" I answer.

"It was nice, a lot better than spending my vacations with the Dursleys." He explains, seeming genuinely relieved.

"Are they the people you live with?" I ask, never having heard of them before. Obviously, I knew his parents were killed by Voldemort, but I never actually wondered where he lived. It made me feel quite ignorant, if I was being honest.

"Yeah, Petunia is my Aunt, and Vernon is her husband. They have a son who's my age, Dudley." He explains.

"And they're Muggles, then?" I ask, looking around the table to find that everyone else is having their own conversations.

"Yeah, the most stereotypical Muggles you've ever seen." He mutters, rolling his eyes at me, which makes me laugh.

"I have some Muggle friends, you know! They're actually rather cool, you should meet them sometime." I explain eagerly, only to find him pulling a face.

"My uncle never lets me out of the house in the summer, not further than our village, at least." He explains, a little sad.

"I'll call your uncle, and invite you to stay with me for a week, how about that? I'm sure he won't mind." I say, trying to assure him.

"Last time someone called, Ron was screaming into the phone and my Uncle nearly had a heart attack. I'm not sure if that's a good idea, Ali." Harry explains, and I snort at that.

"Ron did what?!" I exclaim, bursting out with laughter, and soon Harry joins me.

"What did I do?" Ron asks, oblivious, which makes us laugh even more.

"It's nothing, Ron, no worries." I manage to bring out, and soon we begin to eat dinner. God, I had really missed my friends.

After dinner, I read the note Niklaus wrote me when I'm all alone.

'Meet me in the Astrology Tower at 10pm. Come alone x'

So, I talk some more with Hermione in our bedroom, and when everyone's asleep, I silently crawl out of bed, put on a black pair of sweatpants and a warm black sweater, my sneakers, and sneak out of the room. My way out of the common room goes smoothly, no one left there, and in the hallways I'm pretty stealthy, only having to jump behind a fake wall when Ms. Norris walks into the corridor. That cat was a horrible snitch, I'll tell you that! Soon enough, I reach the Astrology Tower, and I eagerly climb up the stairs.

"Niklaus?" I whisper as I enter the room, and I smile when I find him sitting by the big window opposite the door, a blanket spread out on the floor, candles lighting up the room a little.

"Hey, darling." He answers, making me smile as I rush over to his side and sit down next to him.

"I've missed you, you know." He mutters as he wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer against him. When I look up at him, I can't help but blush, his blue eyes meeting my own brown ones.

"I've missed you too." I whisper back, and then gently kiss him. When I pull back, he's smiling widely.

"Am I getting more kisses from now on? 'Cause I like it a lot, you know." He says with a wink, making me shove him playfully.

"You're an idiot." I mutter, making him chuckle.

"So, how was your break?" He asks after a moment of silence, the both of us looking outside, up at the starry sky.

"It was nice. I enjoyed spending time with my parents and family, we mostly stayed at home though. I did go to the New Year's party that the Malfoys give every year, which wasn't too bad. And you?" I ask in return, turning my head to look at him.

"It was boring without you. My parents didn't have much time for me, considering they host a huge Christmas feast at the palace, but it was okay." He mutters, and I can tell it bugs him, but he's trying not to show it.

"I'm sorry about that, Niklaus." I mutter, laying my head on his shoulder.

"It's fine, I'm just glad that I have you. This entire year is a break from my real life. Normally, life isn't that much fun at all. I have so many duties and events to attend, and my parents seem to forget that I'm a normal boy." He admit, surprising me.

"It must be hard to be a prince. I'm sorry, I never really thought about that." I answer, moving until I'm sitting facing him, and wrap my arms around him when I see the sad look in his eyes.

"It's okay, I normally don't talk to people about it." He mutters, against my shoulder, my head resting on top of his hair.

"You can talk to me, you know that right?"

"Yeah."

We remain like that for a while, just breathing, and I can feel him relax in my hold.

"So, how 'bout you?" He suddenly asks, pulling back a little to look at me with a smile.

"What about me?" I ask in return, a little confused.

"Is there something going on in your family? You all seem so happy." He asks, and although normally I might get annoyed by people prying into my family life, I can tell he's being genuine.

"Everything's fine, apart from one thing, I guess. My mother's family used to be Deatheaters, back in the days when You-Know-Who was still alive. It's… it's just caused a lot of tension between my mom and my dad, considering my dad is highly against everything that happened back then. My mom… she never was a Deatheater, but she's a sympathiser, and I don't know how to feel about that. I've been raised to believe that we're all equal, pureblood or muggle, but sometimes I can see in my mother's eyes that she doesn't believe that." I admit softly, frowning as I look up at him.

"The fact that your mother supports them, doesn't have to mean that you do, Ali." Niklaus assures me, and I relax when there's no judgment in his eyes.

"Still, I have to go to all these parties and gatherings and I just know that they're all former Deatheaters, and sometimes I just worry that they still are. Everyone says that You-Know-Who's dead, but I just can't seem to believe that." I admit, a tight knot forming in my stomach. It was hard for me to voice this feeling, which I had always felt ever since I was old enough to understand what was going on.

"But Alistair, he's dead. You're friends with Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, isn't that enough proof to you that he's dead? Harry defeated him." He tries to calm me down, but I can't believe him.

"I just-I think he's still alive, and that he's waiting for the right time to come back-"

"What are you two doing out of bed past curfew?"

I jump in fright at the voice, the both of us standing up and whirling around to see Snape standing in the doorway, a stern look on his face.

"We were just enjoying the view, Professor, nothing more." Niklaus states smoothly.

"I'm sure that you, as the Prince, know to not hang around past curfew." Snape answers, clearly not impressed.

"But, Professor, I'm sure you can understand that we just wanted some alone time-

"I suggest you go back to your ship this instant, your highness, before I have to inform your Headmaster." Snape interrupts, and Niklaus sighs at that.

"Just go, Niklaus." I mutter, shoving him lightly in the direction of the door. He does so, for no one wants a lecture from Igor Karkarov, glancing back at me one last time before leaving. I listen to him walk down the steps, and silence fills the room, only Snape and I left.

"I-I'm sorry, Professor." I say, not really knowing what else to say.

"You should know better than to be out of bed this late, Miss Leroy, let alone discuss such delicate matters. You can never know who can be trusted." He states, which annoys me.

"Or know who's listening in, apparently." I state, frowning at him before brushing past him, rushing out of the room.

"Miss Leroy, I will escort you back to your dorm. You can't be outside all by yourself-

"I can find my way back perfectly, thank you very much! I got here all by myself too, didn't I?" I argue, stomping down the stairs.

"Miss Leroy, don't be such a stubborn fool." He answers, easily catching up with me when I reach the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm not stubborn." I mutter, but don't protest anymore when he keeps walking next to me, the two of us making our way to the common room in silence. Who the hell did he think he was? He always walked in on me and Niklaus, and as if that wasn't embarrassing enough, he also listened in to conversations that actually meant a lot to me! He wasn't supposed to hear that!

By the time we reach the portrait of the Fat Lady, my cheeks are red with anger and embarrassment, and I would really, really like him to just go away right now.

"I won't deduct any points this time. If I catch you two another time, I will." He states when we both stop, and I spin around to look at him.

"Fine. Goodnight, Professor." I state, a little too angry to mean it, and mutter the password, rushing inside as soon as it swings open.

I think I've barely slept for an hour, when a loud blaring alarm wakes all of us up.

"What the hell's going on?" I ask groggily, rubbing my eyes to find all the girls rushing through the room in a panic.

"Ali, come on! That's the fire alarm!" Hermione exclaims, and she grabs my hand, dragging me out of bed.

"Is it a test or a real one?" I ask, confused, and I simply let her lead me out of the room and down the stairs, too tired to really think.

"I don't know! This has never happened before, I only read about it in the library!" She answers, clearly panicking, but also determined. When we reach the common room, a lot of people are already there, confused and tired.

"What's going on, Hermione?" Ron asks, clearly realizing she's probably the only one who would know.

"It's a fire alarm, Ron! We have to gather outside the castle!" Hermione explains, and I shake myself awake, telling others that are simply hanging around the same thing. Soon enough, the entire common room's cleared, and Hermione and I make our way through the tunnel. The hallways are filled with more students that are walking through the hallways to get outside, and after a few minutes we're outside. The cold air hits my bare legs, and I mentally curse myself for wearing pyjama shorts and an old band shirt to bed, already shivering. I wander through the students until I reach a fairly empty spot, looking around to see if I can find Niklaus or Viktor, since Durmstrang had such lovely, warm coats… God, what I'd give to have one of those right now!

"This is why you should stay in bed, Miss Leroy. You look awfully tired." Snape's voice pops up from behind me, and I sigh when he moves to stand beside me.

"Yeah yeah, you're right. Is that what you want to hear?" I answer, hugging myself tightly to keep warm a little.

"Perhaps, yes. You're freezing." He responds, and before I realize what's going on he's draping his large cloak over me. A nice, warm, heavy cloak. I forget all about me being angry with him, hugging the fabric closer with a happy sigh.

"Thank you." I mutter, glancing up at him shortly to find him giving me a short nod before walking away to do God-knows-what.

"Ali! There you are, are you alright?" Niklaus appears from in between a group of Slytherins, clearly having been looking for me, relief in his eyes.

"I'm all good, Niklaus. Why are you so worried?" I ask, allowing him to hug me shortly.

"I heard some students saying that a couple had met in secret and some candles caused a fire, I was worried about you." He answers.

"But you knew that Professor Snape was with me." I argue, and he looks like he only realizes it now.

"Oh, yes, I totally forgot, sorry Ali. Also, who's cloak is that? I don't remember you liking to dress up as a vampire." He adds jokingly, making me snort.

"It's Snape's." I mutter, watching his eyes get wider.

"He gave you his cloak? Why's that?" He asks, surprised.

"Because I was freezing out here in my pyjama shorts, Niklaus. I was looking for you." I answer, giving him a look.

"I'm sorry, Ali. You can have my coat if you want?"

"No, it's fine. I'm warm enough now."

"Alright, students, it's safe to go inside again! Off to bed!" McGonagall raises her voice, and I give Niklaus a quick kiss before making my way back into the castle. When I enter my room once more, I let myself fall down on my bed and fall asleep instantly, using the cloak as my blanket.


	16. build me up, buttercup

**A/N: This is just a small filler chapter, but I'm posting the next chapter too, don't worry! I hope you guys enjoy it 3 Also, feel free to message me for anything, it doesn't have to do with this fic! I love to get to know new people, and should you want to talk about something serious, it might be nice to explain it all to a stranger 3 **

_"Why do you build me up (build me up) buttercup, baby_  
_Just to let me down (let me down) and mess me around?_  
_And then worst of all (worst of all) you never call, baby_  
_When you say you will (say you will) but I love you still_  
_I need you (I need you) more than anyone, darlin'_  
_You know that I have from the start_  
_So build me up (build me up) buttercup, don't break my heart"_

_Build me up, buttercup - The Foundations_

When I wake up, Hermione gives me a weird look, and that's when I realize I'm still wearing Snape's cloak. Fuck. How rude of me! I didn't even give it back to him. I wonder if I should just give it to him before our class, since it's the first of the morning? No, that would be weird, right? People might think something's up between us, and I did NOT want that. Finally, I decide on teleporting it to his classroom with my magic, and I fold it neatly before zapping it away.

When I arrive in class, I see the cloak, still folded neatly on his desk, like I intended it. Snape doesn't say anything about it, but when our eyes meet, I can tell he's pleased. For today's class, I'm paired with Draco, which I'm super happy about, since he's actually good at this. He helps me with my parts, and we talk and laugh a little in between, which earns us a few strange looks from both Gryffindor and Slytherin. It was weird, you would've thought they knew we were friends by now. Our potion's good, and I hear Snape compliment Draco on it when I'm busy getting some ingredients, which makes me smile.

After Potions, it's time for Herbology. This time, I sit down next to Neville, since he likes Herbology as much as I do, and he talks to me about the new book on water plants he's reading, such as Gillyweed, which I find quite interesting. In return, I tell him about the Pigmypuffs that live on our grounds, and how certain herbs are used to tame them to keep as pets. In the meantime, we successfully manage to transfer our plant into a new pot, since it had grown too big already.

"How are you guys so good at this?" Ron asks us from where he's seated opposite us, Harry and him struggling to get the plant out of its previous pot, the plant circling their wrists with its leafs.

"You have to be nice to it, Ron. It doesn't know you're giving him a new home, it just thinks you're trying to destroy it. I would think the same, considering the way you're holding it." I explain, sharing a smile with Neville as Ron keeps on struggling.

"Good job Mr. Longbottom, Miss Leroy! 10 points to Gryffindor!" Madame Sprout notes as she walks past us, making us grin even more.

At lunch, my father decides to surprise me with a Howler. I look up when the owls come in, as I always do, surprised to find our black family owl Madeline fly over to me, carrying along a bright red envelope.

"Shit, you're in trouble!" Ron exclaims, and I've heard enough about the Howler he got in his second year to know why he assumes that. My Father wasn't one to yell at me, especially not with a Howler. Nonetheless, I'm rather nervous when I open the letter after I give Madeline my bowl of cereal. Everyone at my table, no, the entire Great Hall has turned silent, curious to hear what I did wrong. I hold my breath.

"OH MY GOD ALISTAIR, PRINCESS, YOU'LL NEVER BELIEVE WHAT I DISCOVERED ON SUNDAY! THE PIGMYPUFFS IN YOUR TREEHOUSE ARE MATING AND NOW THEY HAVE LITTLE PIGMYPUFFS AND I CAN'T TAKE IT! I BUILT THEM A LITTLE HOME WITH YOUR OLD BLANKETS AND THEY'VE PRACTICALLY CLAIMED THE TREEHOUSE. MOM OF COURSE SAYS WE SHOULD GET RID OF THEM BUT I TOLD HER NO, I'M NOT SURE HOW LONG I CAN DEFEND THEM THOUGH. I'LL SEND YOU SOME PICTURES, MOM SAYS SHE LOVES YOU, I LOVE YOU TOO, BYE BUTTER CUP! OH, AND ASK PROFESSOR SNAPE IF HE CAN SEND ME HIS OPINION ON BEZOARS!"

I listen to the message, ending up laughing loudly. Fred and George are somewhere underneath the table by now, wheezing. Classic dad. When I look at the teacher's table, Snape merely gives me a nod, clearly embarrassed by the shout out my dad just gave him.

"I bet that's a lot better than the Howler you got, Ron." I say cheekily, making him grumble as everyone begins to laugh at our table.


	17. lucid dreams

**A/N: And the last chapter I'm going to post today! This was one of my favourites to write, it has some Snape/OC fluff, so... Anyways, let me know if you like it! **

_"I have these lucid dreams where I can't move a thing_  
_Thinking of you in my bed_  
_You were my everything_  
_Thoughts of a wedding ring_  
_Now I'm just better off dead_  
_I'll do it over again_  
_I didn't want it to end_  
_I watch it blow in the wind_  
_I should've listened to my friends_  
_Did this shit in the past_  
_But I want it to last_  
_You were made outta plastic (fake)_  
_I was tangled up in your drastic ways_  
_Who knew evil girls have the prettiest face?_  
_You gave me a heart that was full of mistakes_  
_I gave you my heart and you made heart break"_

_Lucid Dreams - Juice WRLD_

As everything gets back to its normal routine, the second task approaches. Harry is growing more nervous, although he isn't very invested in finding a way to find out what it will be, which annoys the hell out of Hermione.

"Harry, you really have to put more effort into this!" She says, chasing him through the common room once more. I look up from where I'm writing an essay for History, amused.

"Hermione, I don't know what else to do! You've heard what happens when I open the egg!" Harry argues, sighing.

"Hermione!" I call her name, drawing both their attention.

"How about I go to the library with you? We can look for information on golden eggs, and finish that group work for Muggle Studies, how about that?" I offer innocently.

"That would be wonderful! Look, Harry, even Alistair is trying harder than you are for this task." She answers, glaring at Harry.

"Why don't you, uh, calm down a little, huh? Harry, you just make sure you finish your Potions homework, we'll let you know if we find something." I say, quickly packing my backpack before I drag Hermione along with me, out of the common room.

"He can be so insufferable at times!" Hermione exclaims as soon as we close the portrait, making me chuckle.

"Aren't all men like that?" I answer, making her laugh in return, and I can see her shoulders relax a bit.

"Don't worry about him for now, we'll just look up some stuff ourselves. Besides, he'd only walk in our way." I say casually, making her nod in agreement.

Hermione and I spend the entire afternoon in the library, switching our time between making the group work about our favourite Muggle invention (we chose to do it about the pen, just to make a point of how annoying quills are) and searching for books that have information about golden eggs. The librarian looks at us in a funny way when we ask her for help, but she helps us out anyway, even getting us a few books from the restricted section. So far though, I haven't read much more than a few adaptations of Charlie and the Beanstalk, some of them magical editions, and an encyclopedia about magical beasts, containing an image of a goose that lays golden eggs. Fuck my life, honestly.

To top it all off, the next day Harry rushes into the common room, only to drag me and Hermione along to his dorm room, and tells us that Cedric Diggory told him to take a bath with the egg. Apparently, when you opened the egg underwater, it would sing a song. From what I gathered from his rambling, the next task would have something to do with mermaids and water.

I spend some more time with Niklaus on the ship of Durmstrang, talking and cuddling by the fire, laughing and listening to music. I don't really know if we're officially together or just dating, but I don't really mind that we don't have a label on us, even when everyone just seems to assume we are a couple. I like spending time with him, and even though I know we don't have that much time left together, I focus on the present.

School's going pretty good too. Hermione is a great help, and unlike Harry and Ron, I listen to her when she says we should get started on an assignment, so she doesn't mind helping me out, and in return I help her with Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures, which I'm good at. She's already stressing out about our exams, but I tell her to relax, since she's obviously going to pass. Sometimes, she just seems to forget that she has to have some fun too. Lately, though, Viktor seems to be helping her with that. They keep whatever's going on between them private, but I catch them in the library occasionally, or when they're taking a walk outside. I think it's cute.

So far, everything's going great, which is probably why I'm feeling more stressed out when I should be when Professor Snape approaches me in the middle of the hallway, asking me to follow him. I follow him down to the dungeons, still hella confused when he leads me into his office.

"Did I do something wrong, Professor?" I ask him, a little nervous when he gestures for me to sit down.

"No, you did not. I do, however, need to ask something of you." He states, and I'm not sure whether I find this worse.

"So… correct me if I'm wrong, but you're asking me to willingly be tied up under water and wait there unconsciously, hoping that there will be one champion who's brave enough to grab me as well and bring me up? Whilst there is only an hour of time and there's nothing said about this in the assignment, and I might regain consciousness and die if they don't decide to help me?" I ask incredulously, staring at Snape with wide eyes.

"You're putting it highly pessimistic, but yes. We are asking you to tie you up under water, hoping one of the champions will help you up as well in exchange for bonus points." Snape admits casually, as if he was talking about the weather instead of my LIFE.

"You're insane." I state, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I'm not the one who came up with the idea. They were looking for someone who knew all the champions. Well naturally you're friends with Potter and that Krum boy, and you've seem to be getting closer to Diggory as well." He says, sneering at the 'Potter and that Krum boy' part of it all.

"And me socializing means I have to be sacrificed to the mermaids?!" I ask, panic filling my chest.

"There's mermen as well, I'm sure you'll like them. It's completely safe, Miss Leroy." He says with a sigh, as if I'm annoying him.

"Professor, I can assure you that I don't really trust the mermen, or anything that lives underwater, for that matter. I'm not particularly fond of drowning, and those creatures seem to stimulate doing exactly that." I argue, giving him a look.

"You're afraid of drowning." He states, unimpressed.

"Of course I am! No one would willingly put themselves on fire, but water is supposed to be all fine and dandy? I don't trust this entire competition; it's been rigged from the moment Harry was chosen as fourth competitor."

For a moment, Snape just stares at me, studying me closely. It's when I remind myself to breathe again and manage to calm myself down that he continues.

"Miss Leroy, I understand that you're afraid, but I promise you that I wouldn't simply let you drown, neither would the other teachers, and don't even get me started on Headmaster Karkarov." He assures me, voice a lot softer now.

"That may be, but none of you have to be tied up underwater for an hour with a terrible fear of drowning." I argue, although I'm a lot calmer now.

"You will be fine. I will make sure nothing happens to you, personally. If the time's up, I will come get you myself." He sounds very honest, dark eyes holding mine until I can't protest anymore.

"Fine. But if anything happens, I'll haunt you as a ghost for the rest of your life."

"This was a bad idea." I mutter when I'm standing at the edge of the lake, fear filling my stomach with dread.

"We'll be totally fine! They wouldn't dare let anything happen to us." Hermione reassures confidently, patting my shoulder.

"Uh-huh, sure." I hum, turning around to walk a bit further away from the rest. I take a deep breath, staring at the water.

"You're not wearing your school uniform." Snape notes, moving to stand beside me.

"Do you know how heavy that is? It's legit making it harder for the champions." I scoff, taking off my shoes.

"Fair point. Yellow flamingos?" He then asks, staring at my feet.

"Lucky socks." I explain, shrugging. When he scoffs, it's my turn to stare at him.

"Are you laughing at my lucky socks? Really?" I ask, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.

"You're unbelievable." He brings out, his lips tilted upwards in a tiny smile. I huff at him in annoyance, pulling on the sleeves of my oversized pink sweater, wishing I could disappear in it.

"You're actually scared, aren't you?" He asks when he calms down, turning serious.

"When I was a kid, my parents and I were on vacation in Norway. I'd been studying the underwater life with my dad, when a kelpie dragged me under. I nearly drowned, but my dad saved me." I blurt out, crossing my arms over my chest. Snape remains silent at that, the sound of the lake filling my ears.

"I'm sorry for pushing you into doing this." He speaks up after a long time, making me look up at him.

"Maybe it's a good thing. The bravest thing to do is to face your fears." I say, shrugging.

"Bravery. You really belong in Gryffindor." He says with a scoff.

"Maybe. I'm still scared, though." I admit, hugging myself.

"I'll be here the entire time. As soon as that hour's over, I'm coming for you." Snape assures. When he puts a hand on my shoulder, I turn towards him, having to look up to meet his eyes. For a moment, I hesitate, fear filling my stomach. It's not my own bravery that makes me decide, nor am I doing it for my friends. It's the look in his eyes, the one that tells me I can do it, that asks me to put my faith in him. He will be there. I take a deep breath.

"Okay."

-Snape's POV-

An hour flies by when you're asleep. Dumbledore had told him it would be a dreamless sleep, that she would not be harmed during that hour. He'd told Dumbledore he hoped so, for they'd just sent someone down there who was afraid of drowning. Dumbledore had smiled, in that way only Dumbledore can smile, a smile that could make anyone and everyone feel like there was something he knew that they didn't.

Right now, that hour seems like eternity. Miss Delacour had surfaced far too soon, claiming she was unable to continue, leaving everyone incredibly tense. This would mean the champions would have to bring up two extra people. Cedric resurfaces as the first, bringing along only Cho Chang, not that this surprised Snape. His guess was that either Krum or Potter would bring Alistair up, since they knew her best. Krum is the first out of those two to successfully return, carrying a very wet and thankful Hermione. He makes sure she's alright, insisting on getting her all dry first and remains by her side the entire time.

"Why was Ali down there? I wanted to go get her, but those mermen wouldn't allow me to take her, only Hermione." He claims, looking at Snape for answers.

"Alistair is down there? Why on Earth would you allow that, Snape?!" Igor hisses at that, not having known this before.

"It wasn't my idea. She's worth bonus points, but I don't know what's going to happen now that Miss Delacour's sister is still down there as well." He admits, speaking lowly.

"She's terrified of drowning!" Viktor Krum exclaims, growing more worried quickly.

"She's safe." Snape says, more so to assure himself.

"I'm not worried about her safety. I'm worried about her mental state once you get her out of the water." Krum sneers, wrapping an arm around Hermione to warm her up a bit. Snape frowns at it, staring out across the lake. He hoped someone would get her up in time, or that he would be in time to get her up himself.

It's five entire, tormenting minutes after time when Harry finally shows his head. Snape counts quickly, seeing Potter with not only Weasley, but the little Delacour sister as well.

"Ali! Someone has to get Ali! I couldn't take her too, she's still down there, someone has to help!" Harry Potter exclaims, worried eyes searching frantically until they find Snape's, surprisingly enough.

"What are you doing, Severus?" Dumbledore asks when he tugs off his heaviest robes, leaving him in dress shirt and trousers, kicking off his shoes, the memory of Alistair complaining about the heavy robes echoing in his head.

"I promised I would go get her. She's terrified of drowning, and it's been already five minutes longer than it should've." Snape answers, diving into the water right after, wand in his hand. He uses the Bubble-Head Charm, just like Miss Delacour and Cedric Diggory, then uses another spell to get there faster. For the record, Snape hated ice cold water, and he especially hated swimming through such cold water, but he had made a promise.

Finally, he reaches the middle of the lake. He pushes aside some green seaweed, Alistair coming into view. She's pale, oh so pale, her lips having turned blue. She looks lifeless, floating in the water, and for a moment, dread fills him. Then, he notices she's waking up, eyes opening and getting wide in panic instantly. It takes him only five seconds to get there, but he knows those five seconds are a few of the worst in her life, seeing the panic and fear in her eyes all the way from here. Then, he reaches her, grabs her cheeks and pulls her close enough, into the bubble of air. She gasps for air, lips nearly touching his, not that he could care less right now about anything but her safety, but the colour doesn't return to her face, body shaking with fear still.

"I'm here. You're safe now, don't be afraid." He says, voice sounding deformed due to the water. Ali looks into his eyes at that, frightened brown eyes focusing on him until she seems to calm down. He tells her to look at his eyes and his eyes only, like you tell some who's afraid of heights not to look down, and she does exactly what he says, her small hands clinging onto his robes for dear life, everything about her screaming that she's putting her life in his hands and he better not fuck this up. He wants to tell her he won't, but there's no time, he has to get her up as soon as possible so she won't start panicking again, so he propels them upwards with his magic, the two of them sharing the same bubble of air.

Soon enough, they break through the water's surface, and all Snape hears is Alistair gasping for air.

"The girl first." Is all he says when he lifts her up to the platform, other hands pulling her up, Snape climbing out himself. She's shivering terribly, Krum immediately ready to dry her off with a huge towel, then wraps her into his magnificent fur coat, but Alistair only says one word, repeating it over and over:

"Snape."

He rushes over to her side.

"You got me out of there." She whispers when his eyes meet hers, his hands hovering above her shoulders, ready to help her.

"I promised I would." He answers, meeting those frightened, wide brown eyes. The next second, tears fill her eyes, and she throws herself at him. He's shocked, only realizing after a few seconds that she's hugging him, clinging onto him like he's the only thing keeping her alive, and he realizes that down there, that had been exactly the fact. Realization hits him, as he thinks of how she actually could've drowned if he hadn't been on time, and it makes his stomach turn in discomfort. So he pulls her closer, trying to comfort her as best as he can, unused to this entire experience, but he promised he'd be there, so here he was.

I wake up in the infirmary, literally rolling out of bed, hitting the ground face first.

"Alistair!" Someone exclaims, and I feel a pair of strong hands lift me up, laying me back onto the bed before untangling my body from the sheets. When my eyes finally manage to focus, they lock onto a pair of dark eyes, a worried look in them.

"Nightmare, sorry." I whisper, the sight of Snape being here calming me down. He looks like he hadn't been getting enough sleep, dark circles under his eyes, but he looked fine apart from that.

"From… yesterday?" He asks carefully, frowning. I hum in confirmation, looking down at my hands that were resting in my lap.

"You don't have to be ashamed about what happened. I didn't realize how much it would affect you, I should've thought about it- "Snape apologizes, but I interrupt him.

"Don't be sorry. You held up your promise." I say, voice serious as I glance back up at him.

"Still, that look in your eyes… you were terrified." He argues, seeming to feel incredibly guilty.

"I'm fine now, and that's all that matters. Because of you, I'm fine. So thanks." I blurt out, getting incredibly awkward as I remember how close he had been, having to share that little air bubble. The memory of his body pressed against mine, nothing but wet clothes in between us, was still bright and fresh in my mind, easily turning my cheeks to a pink shade.

"I'm glad you're okay." He admits, surprising me.

"Have you… been here the entire time?" I ask him, slowly. He nods, glancing down at where our hands are nearly touching.

"You looked so… pale, even after I got you out of the water. I was worried." He admits, glancing up at me with a look that makes my heart skip a beat.

"I'm sorry." I bring out, not knowing what else to say.

"It's fine, Miss Leroy." He answers, giving me the tiniest smile.

"Still, I didn't want to cause a scene, or start rumours…" I trail off, glancing up at him in uncertainty.

"No one should ever have to go through that, no matter how brave I think they are. So please, don't apologize to me again."

All I can do is stare at him, before slowly nodding. That tiny smile appears on his face again, making me relax.

"Now get some more sleep, you need it." He gently orders, getting off the side of my bed to put the blanket over me again. I smile at the unexpected kindness, but he was right: I was growing tired quickly and I guess I did need my sleep.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I ask in between a yawn, curling up under the warm blanket.

"I have no idea." It's the honest, whispered answer, that makes me drift off to sleep once more. And this time, I don't have any nightmares.


	18. party girl

**A/N: Hello guys! First of all, I would like to give a HUGE shout out to ****pointy-ears98****. She had an idea of where this story might be going and after a while of thinking about it, it actually turned out to be very helpful for where I wanted to go with this story and got me over some heavy writer's block! So thank you so much, I really appreciate it 3 Also, please comment what you think of this chapter! I love hearing your opinions, and as you can see, it can even influence this story! Anyways, enjoy!**

_"Lil' mama a party girl_  
_She just wan' have fun too_  
_They say you ain't wifey type but I don't care, I want you (whoa, whoa)_  
_She like to do drugs too_  
_She in love with guns too (whoa, whoa)_  
_They say you too piped up but I think that I love you (whoa, whoa, whoa)"_

_Party Girl - StaySolidRocky_

-Snape's POV-

Snape is busy grading papers, when Karkarov comes bursting through the door.

"It is rather rude to barge in without knocking first, Karkarov. What do you want?" Snape says slowly, annoyed by the sudden intrusion. The Headmaster paces through the room, a nervous look on his face.

"I don't get how you can act like nothing's wrong, Severus." Karkarov hisses, turning his head to meet his gaze.

"What do you mean?" Snape asks, deciding to play innocent. If he wanted, he could simply read the other man's mind and he would instantly know what was going on, but lately, Snape refrained from doing so.

"You-Know-Who's returning, Severus, you know it. My Dark Mark has been burning lately, I'm sure you've felt it too."

So that's what this was about. Igor was afraid. It made sense, since he had ratted out many Deatheaters, including himself, and The Dark Lord would definitely not be pleased.

"You're scared."

"Of course I am! And you should be too, since you're a spy!" Karkarov exclaims, returning to pacing the room, a scared look in his eyes.

"I have always been on the Dark Lord's side, Karkarov, unlike you." Snape says smoothly. After all these years, the words rolled off his tongue without him even having to focus hard. Igor remains silent for a while.

"I know what to do! I give him the girl." Igor decides, a determined look appearing on his face.

"The girl?" Snape asks at that, unsure what he meant by this.

"Alistair! She's more powerful than any witch or wizard I've seen before, hell, I think she might even be able to beat Dumbledore in a duel! If we hand her over to the Dark Lord, he'll forgive me for what I did!"

Oh, no. This was not good.

"I don't think that's a good plan…" He says carefully, studying the Headmaster.

"But it is, Severus! She would be the perfect weapon in the war, which we both know is unavoidable. It's not Harry Potter, but I reckon it's the next best thing." He concludes, his mind made up.

"You do realize what he's going to do to her, right? I thought you cared for her?" Snape says, face void of any emotion. As a weapon, she would be tortured first without a doubt.

"Did you really believe that? It was a good idea to keep her close, I knew that. She'll never suspect anything. Thanks for the chat, Severus!" Igor states, a cruel smile on his face, and then he walks out of the office.

Dumbledore remains silent for a while. Severus had gone straight to the Headmaster's office and informed him of Karkarov's plans, for he knew to take the man seriously when it came to being a rat.

"This is not good, indeed. It is good you that came to me, Severus." Dumbledore says, eyeing him.

"He's serious about this, Albus." Severus answers, trying not to worry too much.

"Well, the girl is far too powerful to fall into Voldemort's hands, that's certain. We'll have to keep an eye on Karkarov."

"The problem is that Miss Leroy trusts Karkarov. He is like a father to her. Should I warn her?" Severus asks, thinking of ways to fix this.

"No, it will only worry and hurt her, and Karkarov would know you told me." Dumbledore decides, frowning.

"We cannot just let her remain in danger!" He protests, standing up.

"I know, Severus. You have to keep an eye on her, along with Potter, for this might mean that Karkarov will try something with the boy as well. We must be careful." Dumbledore concludes, and Severus nods, finding this a suitable solution. He wouldn't let anything happen to her.

"Voldemort is growing stronger. I can feel the Dark Mark burning. He's coming."

"I know, Severus."

-Alistair's POV-

When I wake up, Snape isn't by my side. Madam Pomfrey insists on exanimating me once more before reluctantly letting me go, telling me to make sure I stay warm. I'm walking over to my common room when a familiar voice shouts my name, drawing even more attention to me, as if everyone hadn't been staring at me before.

"Ali!" Turning around, I find Viktor and Niklaus rush over to me, an equally worried look on both of their faces.

"Are you okay?" They ask simultaneously, making me tear up straight away.

"I'm fine." I bring out. The next second, I'm sandwiched in a tight hug by two of the best friends I could've wished for, although I'm positive I can't breathe any longer.

"Relax, will you! I'm fine." I say, although I can't help the big smile that appears on my face.

"We were worried about you. Snape didn't allow anyone to visit you in the hospital wing, claiming you needed rest." Viktor explains, a frown on his face.

"Well, I slept the entire time, so I guess he was right. I'm fine now though." I say with a shrug, smiling from one boy to the other.

"I'm glad you are. If you want, we can go get some breakfast and picnic outside?" Niklaus offers, a smile on his face.

"That sounds great." I answer with a grin, allowing him to take my hand and lead me towards the Great Hall.

It's rather chilly outside still, but Niklaus gave me his fur coat so I was warm enough. Together, we walk over the castle grounds, occasionally taking a bite of our sandwiches.

"I didn't know, you know. Otherwise I would've gotten you out of the lake myself." Niklaus says after a while. When I look over at him, I can see he's feeling guilty.

"Don't worry about that, Niklaus. You didn't know, and professor Snape got me out in time. It's fine." I assure him, flashing him a tiny smile.

"Yeah, that was very strange! Harry appeared with Ron and Delacour's sister, and then Snape took off his robe and jumped into the lake! I didn't expect him to do that, it's not very like him." He answers, frowning at it.

"Well, he was the one who told me what was going to happen, and he convinced me to do it. I made him promise to come get me if anything went wrong, so." I explain. When he remains silent, I glance at him, only to find a strange look on his face.

"What's wrong?" I ask him then, sensing something's up.

"I-It's just kind of weird, you know. You two seem very close." He mutters. Was he being jealous right now?

"Don't be silly, Niklaus. Nothing's going on. I just trusted him to come get me, and he did. He saved my life, you know."

"Yeah, I know."

The silence between us is slightly uncomfortable after that, but I have no idea what to say to him.

The weekend approaches faster than I expected, and a certain excitement hangs in the air, for third years and older were allowed to visit Hogsmeade. It was a magical village not far from Hogwarts, and even the teachers went there. You could grab a drink at Madame Puddifoot's, or buy supplies, candy, toys… You name it.

"Luna, hey!" I exclaim as I'm walking into the Great Hall. I'd been a little lazy, sleeping in until almost everyone had already left for Hogsmeade, so I was surprised to find her here by herself.

"Hi, Alistair." She answers dreamily, smiling when she sees me approach her.

"Are you going to Hogsmeade?" I ask her, putting on my yellow rain coat. For today, I'd chosen to wear a pair of boyfriend jeans, a warm dark red sweater, my Gryffindor scarf, my yellow rain coat and equally yellow rain boots.

"I wasn't planning on… I don't really have anyone to go with, so I think I'll stay here." She says, although she doesn't seem upset by it. I knew that people made fun of her, but I hadn't known it was that bad. Then again, she was in Ravenclaw, so I really didn't get to talk to her often.

"Would you like to come with me? My dad needs some stuff for the Pigmypuffs in our treehouse, and I thought they might have it at Hogsmeade." I offer her friendly, as I quickly stuff a sandwich in my face.

"I would like that. You have Pigmypuffs at home?" She asks, immediately interested. The entire way to Hogsmeade, I talk with her about Pigmypuffs.

"You seem to know a lot about them!" I say with a grin, as we're walking through the snow.

"Well, my father is the head of the Quibbler. He knows a lot about magical creatures, and I'm fascinated by them as well." She explains, smiling.

"He is? My Father likes to read the Quibbler, he says there's a lot of interesting things in there. Your dad knows what he's writing about." I answer, and I can tell this makes her very happy. Most people wrote the Quibbler off as silly writings of a madman, but my father actually found some truths in the magazine. Most people just weren't as open-minded.

We reach Hogsmeade, and I look around for a moment, until I find the shop.

"I'm going to look for my stuff at Dogweed and Deathcap, if that's alright with you?" I ask her, making her turn towards me.

"I was about to go to Honeydukes, but thank you for taking me with you, Alistair. You're a nice person." She answers, motioning towards the shop.

"That's alright, I'll see you later! And Luna? You're a very cool person if you ask me." I say to her with a wink, making her smile warmly before skipping over to Honeydukes. I continue my walk through town, for the Herbology shop I was looking for was a little further from the centre. When I reach it, I walk inside, and the doorbell rings.

"Good afternoon, how can I help you?" A friendly man greets me, making me flash him a smile and approach the desk where he's seated. He's dressed in a deep green robe, and wears an apron and gloves, making me assume he's the owner of the shop.

"Good afternoon, I'm looking for some ingredients to improve the growth of Pigmypuffs? We have a nest of them in my old treehouse, and my Father is trying to make sure they grow up nicely. He's hesitating on heating up the treehouse, he thinks they're too cold? Wait, I have a list here from him." I explain, retrieving his letter from my pockets before handing it to the man.

"Some of these ingredients are in the back of the shop, I'll go get them for you! You can look around the shop in the meantime, be my guest!" He says, before disappearing through a door behind his desk. I begin to roam the store, watching everything he has with interest. I'm currently observing a flesh eating plant, when the door rings once more. I don't pay attention to who's entering, eyeing the thing closely.

"Be careful, Miss Leroy. It might eat you." When I look up, I'm surprised to find professor Snape walking towards me.

"Did you just make a joke?" I ask him with a grin, and he shrugs, a faint hint of a smile dancing across his lips though.

"It's incredible, this thing catches insects and eats them!" I add, making him nod in agreement.

"It's fascinating, indeed. I have one of those myself. Highly amusing, might I add."

Wow, he must be in a good mood! I don't even think he talks this much in his classes.

"I'm actually here for my Father. He needs some things for the Pygmy Puffs at home. He thinks they're not growing fast enough. The shop owner is getting everything for me, it was quite a list." I continue, finding his talkative mood rather pleasant. I turn away from the plant to look at him instead.

"Ah, yes, you're Father asked my opinion on it in a letter. I gave him some ideas." Snape answers, and I smile at it.

"Didn't know you guys sent letters to each other."

"Well, your father asked for it in your Howler, remember? He's a very wise man. There are not many wizards who are familiar with Potions, Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures." He answers, seeming pleased with it.

"He's always been fascinated by those subjects, back when he was at Hogwarts. It's why he sent me to study in other parts of the world as well. He wanted me to be able to see everything in real life. I guess you could say I'm a lot like him, except for the fact that I'm not that good at Potions." I explain, continuing to search the shop for more interesting things, Snape following me, watching the products himself. Occasionally, he grabs an ingredient and holds it in his hands, studies it, then puts it back where he found it.

"You are not that bad at Potions. You've improved a great deal since the beginning of the year. You've learned what most students learn in four years." He argues with a stern look, and I can't help but blush at the, well, compliment. I didn't know if he meant for it to be a compliment, but I would take it as one.

"About your extra lessons, I don't think they are really needed anymore. You're on the same level as your other classmates now." He adds, and I don't know why, but something about it makes me feel a bit sad. Did I really enjoy the extra classes that much? Weird.

"Alright, Professor. Thank you for helping me out." I say, shrugging the feeling off, and I flash him a smile, although it doesn't feel quite as genuine. Right then, the shop owner returns from the back of the store, a bunch of things in his arms.

"I have all the ingredients, your father should be able to help the Pygmy Puffs now. Oh, hello Professor Snape! How are you?" The man says to me before he sees Snape, a smile appearing on his face.

"I'm well, how are you, Arnold?" Snape asks politely as I make my way over to the counter.

"Very busy, as always! No, I'm just kidding, you two are the first visitors today. That'll be 15 Gallons and 4 Sickles, please." The owner says, the last part directed at me. I grab my wallet and quickly pay him, and he packs up my things in a parcel.

"There's a post office here, should you want to mail them to your father right away." Snape says to me, approaching the desk himself. He seems to have found some ingredients, although I have no clue what they are for.

"I'll do that, thanks Professor!" I say to him, taking the parcel from the owner.

"Thank you, see you next time!" I say to the owner, before leaving the store. I make a quick visit to the post office, shipping the parcel home along with a short letter to mother and father, and then go to Honeydukes, where I buy myself some Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans as a snack, and then I walk back to Hogwarts as I munch on them.

I have barely stepped foot into the Common Room when the twins attack me.

"Ali, just the person we were looking for!" Fred says, while he grabs my arm and loops his through.

"We really need to talk to you about something!" George adds, grabbing my free arm as well. Before I can protest, they drag me all the way to their dorm room, and they shut the door behind them, a mischievous glint in their eyes.

"What are you guys up to?" I ask them suspiciously, as I go and sit down on the edge of one of the beds.

"Nothing…" They both say in unison, making me raise an eyebrow at them.

"Alright, alright. We're hosting a party tonight, but only for fifth years and older. But since you're technically older, we decided to invite you as well." Fred explains with a grin.

"But we do need some help. We have alcohol from Hogsmeade, we just have to transfer them from our dorm to the dungeons." George adds.

"Let me guess. You need me to be a distraction?" I ask them, sighing when they nod eagerly.

"We just need you to keep Snape busy for like, ten minutes max."

"I can't do that! He'll realize something's up before I've even said a word." I protest, frowning at them.

"But you're friends!" Fred protests, making me scoff.

"We're not friends, idiot! He's my teacher, like he is yours!" I argue, standing up.

"But Alistair, you're the only one that he doesn't want to give detention on sight!" George argues, making me roll my eyes.

"Fine. But you're giving me an entire bottle of alcohol at the party!" I give in after a while, and they both cheer, pulling me into a hug. Silly twins.

Later that night, I make my way down to the dungeons, nervous as hell. My heart is beating so loudly that I'm certain Snape will be able to hear it, and I try to focus on anything but the party and my task. I turn right, down the hallway where I reach Snape's office. Before I enter, I tap my wrist with my wand and mutter a spell I invented myself. I had designed it to communicate with my best friend when we were young, and kept using it so I could keep in touch with my friends, no matter where they lived in the world. Fred and George would feel the tap on their own wrists, and the spot where I tapped would light up briefly, indicating they could get started. Nervous, I take a deep breath and knock on the door.

"Come in." I hear Snape's voice from the other side, so I cautiously open the door, entering his office.

"Miss Leroy. Why are you here at this hour?" He asks, looking up from behind his desk. I close the door behind me, and walk over to him, pausing opposite his desk.

"G-Good evening, Professor. I, uh, I have a question about Gillyweed? I was wondering if it could be used in potions as well, since I've only ever seen it used raw." I stutter a bit at first as I ask my question, my heart hammering in my chest.

"What would you need it for, Miss Leroy?" He asks, dark eyes trapping mine, until I can't look away.

"It's just a theoretical question. I heard that Harry used it for the second task." I explain. Suddenly, a force pokes inside my head, and it hurts, making me grimace. What was going on? I instinctively push back, and the force leaves straight away. In the meantime, Snape's still looking at me, expression now blank.

"Gillyweed is mostly used in a certain potion that divers use, enhancing their ability to dive longer and deeper. Mixed with other materials, it's way more effective than how Mr. Potter used it." He eventually says, and I quickly glance down at my wrist, where my watch tells me I need to keep him busy for 5 more minutes. Snape follows my gaze, and frowns slightly. Right then, I hear a faint bang down the hall.

"Is something wrong, Miss Leroy? You seem nervous." He then asks, sounding suspicious. I try to look as innocent as possible when I look back up into his eyes, getting more nervous.

"Everything's fine, Professor. I just thought you would know, considering…"

"Considering that I have Gillyweed in my personal storage?" He interrupts, studying me closely.

"What? I didn't know that. I meant since you are our Potions professor." I answer, a bit confused as to why he would say that. God, I just hoped Fred and George were quick!

"I think you know what I mean. Gillyweed has been stolen from my personal storage, right before the second task, and suddenly Potter has Gillyweed. If I recall correctly, Potter isn't smart enough to know such a thing, but now you come to me to ask me about the exact thing that has been stolen from my storage. Do you think I'm a fool, Miss Leroy?" He asks, beginning to slowly pace in front of me.

"Are you saying I did that?! That's insane. I didn't even know you had it, let alone that I would steal from you!" I protest, upset by this. Was he really accusing me of something I didn't do? Then, the force from before returns in my head, more forcefully this time. Wait a second…

"Are you trying to read my mind?! You're such an asshole!" I shout, forcefully pushing him out of my head. Anger sparks inside of me at it, and a burst of wind pushes him back physically. When I look down at my hands, they're raised, and I realise I did that. Crap.

"You have to understand that I don't take such matters lightly." He argues, seeming startled by me seeing through him.

"And you have to understand that I would never lie to you. I didn't steal your fucking Gillyweed, and if you really knew me, you never would have tried to read my mind. That's just sick." I bring out, seething with anger, and right then I receive a tap back on my wrist from the twins, indicating they were done. I give him a last glare, and then I rush out of the office.

I stomp back to Gryffindor's Tower, like arranged with Fred and George, and I immediately make my way up to my dorm room, still mad as hell.

"Hey, Ali- what's wrong? You're radiating heat, it's kind of scary." Hermione speaks up when I enter the room, surprising me. When I place my hand on my forehead, I realize I'm glowing, and I force myself to take deep breaths until I'm at a normal temperature again.

"I'm fine, don't worry. I just had to do something for Fred and George, and I got a little frustrated." I explain smoothly, flashing her a smile.

"Oh, I get that. They can be as annoying as Ron sometimes!" She agrees, making me chuckle.

"Yeah, you're right. Shouldn't you be asleep already? It's 9pm you know." I ask her, walking over to my bed. I grab a box from underneath it, and put it on my bed. Hermione sits down on my bed as I begin to pull out my makeup.

"What do you need that for, Ali? You never wear makeup." She asks, curiously. Crap. She wasn't supposed to know about the party, right? But I couldn't lie to her either, could I?

"Will you promise not to tell anyone? I'm not supposed to tell others." I ask her, giving her a serious look.

"Sure, I promise!" She answers, and I can tell she's being honest.

"Fred and George are throwing a party, but it's for fifth years and older. They asked me to come because I'm technically older than you guys." I explain in a hushed tone, and she smiles at it.

"Well, have fun! I don't exactly mind not being invited." She says, making me laugh softly.

"Yeah, I don't really know what to expect either." I answer, and I rummage through my closet for a moment.

Hermione and I gossip a bit while I get ready, and I really appreciate her company, for she makes me forget the fight from earlier. My clothes for tonight are a little more bold than my usual style. I'm wearing ripped skinny black jeans and a red top that's made out of soft fabric, the V-line accentuated by some lace. I curl my hair and put on red lipstick, along with some golden eyeshadow and mascara, foundation and concealer. I decide on wearing my black converse, since I probably would be dancing.

"You look great, Alistair! I'm betting Niklaus can't keep his hands off of you." Hermione says when I do a twirl for her, making me laugh.

"Now go and have fun! I'll cover for you." She adds, making me thank her before rushing out of our dorm room.

The common room is empty, and I manage to sneak down to the dungeons without any issues. When I open the door to where the party is, music hits my ears, and I grin when I see the room's already full of kids. The dungeon is lit up by disco lights, against the wall opposite the door is a huge sound system with a student playing DJ, there's a few benches against the right wall and in the left corner closest to me are a table and fridge, drinks and snacks scattered across all over the place. The room was big, but there were a lot of people here, and I almost couldn't believe the twins pulled this off.

"You made it! How did things go with Snape?" Fred exclaims, approaching me with a big grin.

"Well, you definitely owe me that bottle." I say with a grin of my own, and right on time, George joins us, handing me a bottle of red vodka.

"Does this make it up?" He asks with a wink.

"For sure!" I answer, taking it from him.

"Anyway, we're going to make sure everyone's having fun. Drinks are over in that corner, just take whatever you want!" Fred says, and they leave me with that.

I walk over to the corner with the drinks and grab an energy drink from the fridge. I also grab a cup, and begin to mix myself a drink with my vodka. After that, I hide the vodka somewhere, muttering a spell to make it invisible.

"Hello there, gorgeous." I smile when a pair of familiar arms wrap around me from behind, sighing when Niklaus mutters the words in my ear.

"I've missed you." I say when I turn around to face him, his handsome face smiling down at me.

"I've missed you too. Drinking already?" He asks teasingly, before giving me a quick kiss on the lips, which I eagerly respond.

"Why not, right? It's the first secret party at Hogwarts that I'm invited to." I say with a grin, making him chuckle softly.

"It's my first party here too, if you don't count the Yule Ball." He answers, winking at me. Immediately, my memories from that night pop up in my head, how he'd kissed me, and I know he must be thinking about it too.

"Ali, hey!" Both of us are shaken out of it when Cedric Diggory approaches us, a smile on his face.

"Oh, hey Cedric. How are you?" I ask him friendly, since he's always nice.

"I'm good! Sorry for interrupting, I just came to ask how you were doing. We didn't really get the chance to talk since the second task." He explains, flashing Niklaus an apologetic smile.

"It's fine, man. I'll see you later, Ali." Niklaus says to me before walking away, making me flash him a smile of my own.

"So, how have you been?" Cedric asks, redirecting my attention to him.

"I'm good, actually, and you? Are you preparing for the last task?" I ask him in return, taking a sip from my drink.

"I really have no clue what the last task is going to be about, so not really. Look, I just wanted to apologize for not getting you out of the water. I just… I saw Cho and all I could think about was getting her up, I only realized you were actually an extra person until after I got out of the water." He apologizes, sounding honest and serious.

"That's fine, Cedric, really. I was intended as a bonus, but with Fleur not being able to rescue her sister, it was a little harder. I'm fine now, so don't worry." I say to him, trying to reassure him.

"Still, I feel guilty about what happened. I had no idea you were afraid of drowning." Cedric argues, making me chuckle.

"It's fine, really, Cedric. You don't have to keep apologizing." I answer, making him smile.

"I was wondering, if you're alright with it, that maybe we could hang out this summer? You're a nice person, Ali, but I seem to have no time for anything besides school and the tournament." He offers.

"Of course, that would be great! If Cho is alright with it, of course." I add, making him laugh.

"I think she doesn't really care. She thinks you're cool too." He says, and I smile at it.

"Well, good luck with the tournament, Cedric. I think it would be awesome if you won. And we'll arrange something after the exams, alright?" I offer, making him agree.

"Now, I'll go find Niklaus." I add, disappearing into the crowd.

Eventually, I manage to find Niklaus, who's talking to some Slytherin boys. I flash them a smile before stealing him away and drag him to the dancefloor.

"You want to dance?" He asks, amused, and I quickly empty my cup, tossing it away.

"Yeah, I do!" I exclaim, making him chuckle. The DJ plays Muggle music, which I actually love, and Niklaus follows my lead, imitating my moves, which leads to the both of us laughing our asses off.

"You can really dance!" He brings out after a while, making me grin. Right then, a song comes up that's just meant to grind on, and when a few couples begin to grind into each other, I approach Niklaus until our bodies our touching, and I begin to dance against him, smiling when his eyes grow wide in surprise.

"God, you can really dance." He mutters in my ear, his hands grabbing my waist to pull me even closer. When I look up at him, his eyes are very dark, and I can't help but kiss him. He kisses back eagerly, and I nearly lose it when his tongue traces my bottom lip, asking for entrance. I allow him, of course, and a shiver rolls down my spine. We lose ourselves in the moment, and when I finally pull back for air, my head is spinning.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Niklaus whispers in my ear, seductively. I look up at him and have to swallow harshly at the look that's in his eyes.

"Go where?" I ask him breathlessly, drowning in his ocean blue eyes.

"To the ship. My room." He answers, wrapping his arms around my waist, almost like he was hugging me.

"I'm not allowed to leave the castle. I should be in my bed by now." I say with a wink, making him smile.

"I'm sure Igor doesn't mind. You can sneak back inside early in the morning and no one will notice." He suggests, smirking at me. God, how was he this irresistible?!

"Fine." I whisper, and the smile that appears on his face at that lights up the room.

When I wake up, warmth surrounds me. Slowly, I open my eyes, and I smile at the sight. We're in Niklaus' room, and he's currently fast asleep. I'm lying on my side, my arm draped over his bare chest, his arms holding me close in his sleep. His hair is messy, but his face looks more peaceful than ever before. Through the tiny round window, the sun is shining inside, and I assume that's what woke me up.

Shit! I had to sneak into the castle before too many people noticed I was gone!

"Niklaus!" I whisper, shaking him softly.

"Huh, what?" He mutters, waking up slowly. When his blue eyes land on me, his face lights up, a smile appearing on his lips.

"I have to go to the castle, before anyone notices." I whisper, making him hum in agreement.

"I would like to cuddle with you all day long, but it might be best, yeah." He says, tightening his hold on me.

"I had a lovely night. Thank you." He adds, making my stomach turn weak.

"It was perfect. Thank you, Niklaus." I answer, feeling my cheeks turn red.

"You can borrow my clothes if you like." He says, and I sit up with a grin. Walking over to his closet, very aware that I'm naked, I settle on a white V-neck shirt and a navy sweater, along with my pants from yesterday. When I see myself in the mirror, I quickly rush to wash my face above the sink. Niklaus is still watching me with a lazy grin, naked in the bed still.

"I like you better without clothes, but my clothes are a good second option." He says cheekily, making me grin.

"You're way too charming for your own good, Prince Niklaus." I answer, before walking over to the bed. He smiles when I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him deeply, his arms instantly around my waist.

"I have to go now." I whisper against his lips when we pull back.

"I know. I'll see you later, gorgeous."

"See you later, handsome."

I tip toe out of the room, but when I turn around the corner I run straight into Igor.

"Oh, hi Igor!" I squeak, faking innocence.

"What are you doing here, sneaking out of the Prince's room, huh?" He asks, raising an eyebrow at me. When I grimace at him, he grins, then pulls me into an embrace.

"I won't tell anyone, you little minx. Come, let's get you back to the castle before you get into real trouble." He says, chuckling at my expression no doubt.

"Thanks, Igor." I mutter, highly embarrassed, my cheeks red once more.

"Don't worry, Alistair. You know you're like a daughter to me, right?" He asks, wrapping an arm around my shoulder as we make our way out of the ship.

"I know. Still, thank you."

"Hush hush, I can't help myself when I see love blossoming!" He says with a grin, making me laugh. Together, we walk over to the castle, and when we enter through the gates, Snape comes rushing around the corner.

"Ah, Severus! Wonderful morning, don't you think?" Igor exclaims, forcing him to stop and talk to us. My mood immediately worsens, and I try to look at anything but him.

"Karkarov. What are you doing out of bed so early? I don't think I ever have seen you before lunch." Snape sneers, and for a moment nerves wreck through me.

"I was taking a morning walk with my favourite student at Hogwarts, is that so wrong?" Karkarov asks, flashing him a smirk. Snape's look turns grim at that. His eyes land on me, and I quickly look down.

"No, it is not." Snape mutters, and I can tell he's upset. Was he still mad about yesterday?

"Alright, good day to you, Severus!" Igor exclaims, rushing past him with me still in his hold.

"Good thing I was here to cover for you." He mutters once Snape's out of hearing range.

"Yeah, thanks again!" I whisper back, and we both chuckle at it.

"Alright, you go have breakfast. I'll see you later, Alistair." Igor says when we reach the doors to the Great Hall, ushering me inside.

I make my way over to Gryffindor table, where I find a worried looking Hermione. When she notices me, her eyes get wide, and I quickly rush to sit next to her. There weren't many people awake yet, so we were by ourselves, which was good.

"Where have you been?! I woke up this morning and you still weren't in bed!" She hisses, making me give her a look that tells her to be quieter.

"I'm sorry, okay? I… I ended up staying with Niklaus tonight." I explain, and I'm unable to prevent a smirk from appearing on my face.

"Oh my God! Did you guys… you know?" Hermione asks, excitement appearing in her eyes and voice. When I nod, blushing furiously, she squeals, pulling me into a hug.

"I'm happy for you! How was it?" She adds, excited as hell.

"It was perfect. I think I really like him, Hermione." I admit, sighing.

"That's adorable!"

"What's adorable?" Ron asks, interrupting our conversation.

"Nothing!" We exclaim simultaneously, giggling. Ron merely shrugs it off, beginning to eat his breakfast.

**A/N: My my, Ali's getting it on! (hehehe) I know this might not be why you're reading this fanfic, but don't worry, we'll get there! I just didn't want to rush the relationship between Ali and Snape, and have their characters grow a little more and stuff. Anyways, if you have any ideas, or if you want to know something about me and my hube life, feel free to send me a message! I love hearing from you! **


	19. glue

**A/N: Hey guys! I know it's probably been a while since I updated this story, and I'm sorry! But today, I bring you not one, but two chapters! This one will be a filler chapter, because I wanted some more bonding with Ali and her friends, and also because i really wanted to end the fourth year with chapter 20, hehe. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know what you think!**

_Song inspiration: Glue - Bicep _

Tension fills the school as the third task approaches rapidly. Who would've thought that a year already passed? I can tell Harry's nervous, for he's more absent during conversation and seems to be lost in thought, but hey, who could blame him? Even I was nervous when thinking about whatever awaited him and the other champions.

"Ali!" I halt on my way to Potions, and spot Draco who rushes to catch up with me.

"What's up, Draco?" I ask him, the both of us continuing on our way, since we have this class together.

"Not much, but I heard Snape arguing with Karkarov the other day. It seemed like Snape was really angry. I wondered if you might know more, since you're kind of close with Karkarov?" He explains, a curious look on his face. He probably was out for information to tell his father or something, but the words make me freeze up inside. He wouldn't have seen me sneak out of the ship, right? Igor was with me the entire way. Maybe Snape suspected something and confronted him about it. Shit.

"Uhh, I wouldn't know, really, sorry. Maybe they're just tense about the third task?" I offer, feeling terrible about lying to him, but Draco wasn't that good of a secret keeper, if I was being honest. He just enjoyed bragging occasionally, and dropping information others didn't know was part of that.

"Hmm, could be. Do you want to work together this class?" He then asks, and let out a relieved sigh at the change of subject.

"Sure!" I say with a smile, and I follow him inside the classroom.

As I work with Draco, I realize that I quite miss being around him. Despite the two of us going to the same school now, it felt like I had even less time to hang out with him than before, and this silly Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry wasn't really helping either.

"It's nice to have some time with you, you know." He eventually says as we're busy pouring ingredients into the cauldron, making me flash him a smile.

"Yeah, I feel like I barely have time to see you!" I agree, and he hums.

"You can always come over to my place if you'd like. We can have a sleepover, like old times." He suggests with a grin, and nostalgia hits me as I remember those times. We would build a fortress in the living room with every blanket and pillow we could find, Narcissa would make us delicious snacks, and we'd eat them in our fortress, sheltered away from the world. We would talk about anything and everything throughout the night until we saw the sun rise again, and we would be tired as hell, but it were some of the best memories I had. When I look over at him, our eyes meet, and I can tell he's thinking exactly the same thing.

"Yeah, we should definitely do that!" I agree, and he smiles at it, but when the smile falters, I can tell we might be in trouble.

"Miss Leroy, Mister Malfoy. Is this a tea party or a Potions class?" Snape asks, and I turn to find him standing next to our table, dark eyes staring me down.

"I'm sorry, Professor." I mutter, my mood turning around for the worse. Did he really have to ruin this as well?

"It won't happen again, Professor." Draco adds, sounding a lot more genuine. Snape stares at us for a moment more, but then he walks away to criticize Ron and Harry's work. Draco and I lock eyes again and he winks, making me roll my eyes playfully before we get back to work. At the end of the class, I can say that our potion is one of the best.

After that, it's Herbology, and I pair up with Neville. This class, we're taking care of the Muggle plant collection, and I find it calming to work with plants that don't want to pull off sneaky tricks all the time.

"So, are you looking forward to the third task?" I ask Neville as we're studying a sunflower.

"Not really, but I'm rooting for Harry!" He says with a smile, making me nod.

"What about this summer, then? Got any plans?" I ask, writing something down.

"Well, not really. I live with my grandmother." He explains, frowning slightly.

"Oh, do you? I didn't know that. Why?" I ask carefully, hoping I don't cross any lines. He pauses for a moment, and I feel like I should pay good attention, so I put my pen down for a moment, fully focusing on him. He looks vulnerable, and I almost want to tell him to drop the subject, when he begins to talk.

"Well, my parents were part of the rebellion against You-Know-Who. Bellatrix Lestrange tormented them." He says, and I get the message. My heart drops as I think about Bellatrix Lestrange. My mother mentioned her occasionally, telling me that they used to be close friends. My dad would always get really angry and stomp off whenever she did, and as I grew older I kind of began to understand why. Bellatrix was a horrible woman, and even from my mother's stories, I gathered that she wasn't a good person, and now Neville told me this.

"I'm sorry, Neville. I don't really know what to say, if I'm being honest, but I'm sure your parents were very brave." I say eventually, feeling horrible for him.

"They were. I'm proud of them." He says, and we continue to work in silence after that.

I'm surprised when Harry sits down next to me in History of Magic, since he usually sits with Ron, but I flash him a smile as he grabs his books, not that he'd open them during the class. Everyone struggled to not fall asleep during Mr. Binns explanations. He was a ghost, and to be honest, he taught so awfully boring that I sometimes wondered how no one had died out of boredom yet in these classes.

"This is so boring." I sigh after 5 minutes, and Harry hums in agreement.

"So, do you have any idea what the third task is?" I ask him, whispering, and he locks eyes with me, immediately more alert.

"Hagrid has been ordered to plant bushes on the Quidditch field, he says it's a maze." Harry whispers, glancing around to see if anyone's listening in, but most of the students are already dozing off.

"Shit, so it's going to be multiple things then? Or just the maze?" I ask him, curious now.

"I think it'll be multiple tasks within the maze, I don't know." He admits, going through his hair briefly, his infamous scar appearing shortly.

"Are you nervous?" I ask, grinning at him.

"Very nervous. You and Hermione can't help me out this time." He admits, frowning a bit.

"I'm sure you'll do just fine." I say reassuringly, and he smiles at it.

"So, are you sure you don't want to take up my offer and stay with me this summer for a while?" I ask, remembering our conversation of him staying with the Dursleys.

"I don't think I will be allowed to, sorry." He says, seeming upset by it himself.

"That's fine, I'll send you some letters." I answer, brushing it off.

"Miss Leroy, Mister Potter, please pay attention." Binns speaks up, and I quickly mutter an apology before turning my attention to him, soon dozing off.

At lunch, I finally manage to get a hold of Niklaus, whom I hadn't really been able to speak to since that night.

"Niklaus!" I call out, drawing his attention. He smiles, but I can tell something's off, and it makes me worry.

"Hey, darling." He says, planting a kiss on my head absentmindedly.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" I ask him, but he shakes his head.

"Karkarov needs me for something, I'm just here to grab some food and then I'm on my way to the ship." He says, a grim expression on his face.

"Well, I'm sure I can come with you, he won't mind-

"He will mind, Ali. Look, I just can't right now, okay?" He says, sighing. I'm startled by the abruptness, and to be honest, he's being a little rude, but fine.

"I-Okay, I'm sorry." I say, more than a little disturbed by it, and he hums.

"Look, I'll see you at the task, alright? I'm sorry." He says, and then walks away before I can say anything.

Disturbed, I walk back to Gryffindor's table, frowning. It just wasn't like Niklaus at all, to act like this.

I'm still a little down when I'm on my way to Care of Magical creatures, all by myself, when I spot Snape approaching me. Great.

"Is everything alright, miss Leroy?" He asks, and now I can't ignore him. I keep walking, but apparently he's also headed towards Hagrid's hut, keeping up with me.

"Why would you care?" I ask, annoyed.

"I'm your professor." He merely states, glancing at me sideways.

"I'm fine."

"You should be careful, Miss Leroy. Not everyone might be who they say they are." He says then, out of seemingly nowhere. I halt at it, turning to look at him fully. His dark eyes meet mine, but I can't get anything from his expression. What did he mean by that? Had he seen me and Niklaus talking?

"What do you mean?" I ask, frowning. He pauses, and for a moment I think he's actually going to tell me, but then he shuts his mouth.

"It's nothing. I assume you're on your way to Hagrid's class?" He asks, switching the subject, and I sigh, annoyed. I nod at it nonetheless.

"I will walk you there. I need to talk to him." He says, and I follow him when he begins to walk again, silence filling the air between us. I hadn't forgotten the fight we had, though, so it's a little tense.

As we approach Hagrid's hut, the others that are already there begin to notice us, and lots of them begin to stare, obviously confused as to why we were together. Awkward.

"What were you doing with Snape?" Ron asks as I approach him, Harry and Hermione, the other two giving me a similar look, as Snape walks over to Hagrid to talk about whatever.

"Nothing, I ran into him on the way here. It was pretty awkward." I say, and Hermione flashes me a sympathetic smile. I stand next to her, and she leans towards me.

"I thought you were on good terms with Snape? I mean, he saved you from the lake, didn't he?" She whispers, and I pause, then realize I really want to talk to someone about what happened.

"Remember what happened before the party Fred and George held?" I whisper back, glancing around to make sure no one's listening in.

"Of course! You and Niklaus-

"It's not about that. Remember when I entered our dorm, and I was kind of angry?" I ask, and her eyes grow wide.

"Kind of angry? You were radiating heat, Ali. It was creepy." She says, making me chuckle.

"Yeah, well, Fred and George asked me to distract Snape because they had to carry the stereo boxes and everything down to the dungeons. I went to talk to him and asked him something about Gillyweed, which was the first thing that came to mind, and then he got all suspicious? He literally accused me of stealing it from his storage and giving it to Harry for the second task." I explain, and she gasps softly.

"He thought you did that?" She asks, beginning to understand why I was so angry.

"Yeah, he got very angry and stuff. But I got mad too, I mean, why the hell would I do that?!"

"You got angry at Snape? You could've gotten punished, Ali!" She gasps, clearly shocked I did that.

"Well, I didn't do it! I wasn't going to let him accuse me of something I didn't do. Anyways, it's been pretty tense ever since whenever I see Snape." I admit, and she hums in agreement. Then, Hagrid speaks up to begin the class, Snape having disappeared already, and we focus on that instead.


	20. dead to me

**A/N: This is the last chapter of the fourth year. I am planning on continuing this story, don't worry, and I promise you that there will be a little more progress in Ali and Snape's relationship, I just felt like this would feel forced when rushed? What would help me a lot is if you guys let me know how you view their relationship now and also how you would like to see it grow from here on! I hope I'm doing this right, but feedback from you guys would really help :) also, I was wondering if I should share more information about myself with you guys? I realize I haven't really done this throughout this story, but if you want it, I will include more things about myself in the Author's Notes for sure! **

**To be honest, i'm very proud to post this chapter at last, I was looking forward to sharing it with you! Enjoy!**

_"I don't know what you've been told_

_See, I am not your enemy _

_But if there's one thing that I know _

_Is that you ain't a friend to me_

_So don't come for me unless I send for you_

_Oh no, you're dead to me_

_Just don't come for me I won't send for you _

_Oh no, you're dead to me_

_You're dead to me_

_You're obsessed just let me go"_

_Dead to me - Kali Uchis _

Today was the day we had all been waiting for: this afternoon, the third and final task begun. For some reason, I was very on edge and nervous from the moment I woke up, but I tried to brush it off as well as I could, considering I didn't really have anything to worry about. I wasn't one of the champions after all, but I was probably just worried for my friends.

The morning passes by quickly, and suddenly it's lunch time. I sit with Harry and the others, since Niklaus didn't have time for me for some reason, which still made me upset, but I put my mind off him by forcing Harry to at least eat one sandwich. He was very nervous, no doubt due to the task that awaited him. After lunch, I go to grab a warm sweater with Hermione, since we'd probably be outside for a while, and then we're off to the Quidditch field. Today, I chose to wear soft, warm black trousers and a dark red sweater, keeping it casual. Outside, we meet up with Ron, and off we go.

The maze is… enormous. We all stare at it for a moment in shock and awe, and then we sit down near the area of the winner's families, since Ron told us his family had come over to support Harry, which I thought was adorable. After a while, more people arrive, as well as the teachers and families. Ron's mom smiles widely and waves, making us wave back, although Ron turns red around his ears. Somehow, my eyes land on Snape, and there's something in his eyes that makes me worry slightly. He seems on edge, constantly looking around warily. This was just a task, right? He didn't have anything to worry about. Still, the uneasy feeling from earlier today pops back up, and I frown, wrapping my arms around my waist as a shiver rolls down my spine. I just hoped this was over soon. I spot Niklaus, but when his eyes meet mine, he moves the opposite direction, sitting down next to Karkarov, who, to my surprise, also seems to avoid me. What the hell was going on?

"Are you alright, Ali? You seem worried." Hermione asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Y-Yeah, sorry. I just hope no one gets hurt." I mutter, turning my head to look at her.

"Don't worry, no one's gotten hurt before!" She exclaims, and I scoff at it.

"I nearly drowned, Hermione." I state, raising an eyebrow.

"Alright, alright, you win." She gives in.

I'm incredibly tense when the champions enter the maze one by one. Harry and Cedric go first, together, since they were both in the first place. A while after that, Viktor is up, and when finally Fleur enters the maze, it feels like a stone drops in my stomach. Something was wrong, I could feel it. Everyone begins to talk to each other, since there really wasn't much else to do, and I watch the sun setting, shifting occasionally due to the nerves.

"I'm going to get something to drink." I speak up eventually, making Hermione and Ron smile at me before continuing their conversation. I make my way down the tribune, to the stand where they're handing out free water, and grab a water bottle.

"Is everything alright, Miss Leroy?" Snape asks, and when I look up I'm startled to find him so close to me, since I hadn't heard him coming at all. His eyes are trained upon me, and for a moment I wonder if he had walked over to me on purpose.

"I-I don't know. I'm worried." I mutter, deciding I could tell him my worries, despite what had happened.

"You should not worry-

Right then, red sparks are sent into the air from the maze. Someone had given up. We both look at it for a moment, and I know my face says enough.

"Something's off, I can feel it. I can't explain it, but I've felt it since I woke up." I say softly, holding my water bottle tightly.

"The champions are being watched, do not worry about them. If anything should go wrong, make sure you are safe." He says then, and I can tell this isn't just to calm me down. He knew something was up, he just wasn't allowed to tell me. Dread fills me, but I nod, knowing that if it was so important he couldn't say anything, I should probably act like everything was alright.

"I will, thank you, Professor." I say, forcing a smile before walking back to my seat.

Eventually, Fleur is escorted back here, and though scared, she looks unscathed. She joins her family to wait and see how the rest of the task will unfold. It takes a little more time now, and the night is fully dark when another set of red sparks fly out. Around me, everyone begins to assume who it is, but I can't even think about it. Cedric, Viktor and Harry were all friends of mine, so I couldn't choose sides. It takes a lot longer this time, but finally, Viktor comes into view. He looks dazed and confused, so I quickly rush over to him.

"Vik!" I exclaim, and when his eyes land upon me, he smiles, pulling me into his arms. I'm hugging him tightly, inhaling his scent, when he whispers so softly that I'm positive only I can hear it:

"You can't trust anyone, Ali. It's a trap, the entire thing is rigged."

I pull back to look up at him, but he merely smiles, pulling me back into a hug. After a while, we sit down on some chairs near Fleur, watching the entrance of the maze.

What did he mean? First Snape, now Viktor… I simply didn't understand. Something was going on, definitely, but if only someone told me what was going on!

Finally, out of nowhere, Harry and Cedric appear, holding the Cup. Music begins to play, people cheer, and Viktor and I stand up to go and congratulate them, when I notice something is off. I freeze in my steps, eyes trained upon Cedric, and then I realize it. Fleur, who's standing next to us, screams in horror.

Cedric's dead.

Everything around me seems to disappear, as I stare at Cedric, lying motionless on the ground, with Harry crying over his body. Cedric, the kind boy who had only been nice to me, who had helped me with my homework and asked me to hang out this summer, who had become my friend, dead.

"Harry!" Dumbledore yells, rushing over to the two, and Viktor takes a few steps forwards, away from me. Cedric, dead. Through the commotion, I can only hear Harry shouting the following, equally horrible words.

"He's back! He's back, Voldemort's back! Cedric, he asked me to bring his body back, I couldn't leave him, not there!" He exclaims, sounding so upset and scared that I can't do anything else but believe him. My heart sinks in my chest.

Voldemort, back?

"Whoah, careful darling." Igor speaks up, and I don't realize I'd been wobbling on my feet when he gently wraps an arm around me. I take a sudden gasp for air, and then I'm crying into his fur coat. Cedric, dead.

"Hush, hush, darling." He whispers, but I can only hear the voice of Cedric's father, who only now seems to realize what's going on. He walks over to the body and begins to cry, the sound tearing straight through my heart, and the commotion grows, chaos following.

"Come, let's get you somewhere safe, you're not in control of your magic." Igor mutters, and only now I realize that I was freezing cold, ice beginning to cover Igor's coat. I try to focus on controlling my grief, before I cause a winter storm or something, as Igor drags me away from what's happening.

"Alistair!" Niklaus exclaims, and I look up to see him appear by my side, a worried look on his face.

"We have to get her somewhere more calm." Igor says to him, and all I can do is mutter a 'thank you' as they weave through the crowd with me.

I barely notice us entering the castle, but suddenly Niklaus leads me into a dark room. It's like I can finally breathe again, and when I look around, I'm confused. Why are we in Professor Moody's office? I only recognized it because of the stuff he also showed in our classes, and the flask of alcohol positioned on the desk.

"Wait-why are we in Moody's office?" I ask.

"Put her in the chair." Igor orders, and I'm startled by his harsh tone.

"Niklaus, what's going on?" I ask him, growing uneasy when he doesn't say anything, and forces me to sit down on a chair. Igor turns around, and there's something in his eyes that I've never seen before: evil.

"I'm sorry, darling, don't take this personal." Igor says, and when he waves his wand, I'm tied up.

"W-What are you doing?" I bring out, scared now.

"Ah, there you are! You got the girl, great." Alastor Moody bursts through the door, holding Harry. Harry's eyes meet mine, and I can tell we're equally confused. Moody tosses Harry into the chair next to me, and with a flick of his wand Harry's tied up too.

"Marvellous creatures, dragons, aren't they?" Moody asks Harry, eyes trained upon him only. Igor and Niklaus retreat to a wall, watching me closely.

"Do you think that miserable oaf would've led you into the woods if I hadn't suggested it?"

So Hagrid had taken Harry to the dragons as well? The game had been rigged from the start, just like Viktor told me.

"Do you think that Cedric Diggory hadn't told you to open the egg underwater if I hadn't told him first myself?!" He exclaims, scaring me.

"You think Neville Longbottom, the witless wonder, could've provided you with Gillyweed if I hadn't provided him with the book that led him straight to it? HUH?!" He's yelling now, close to Harry's face, and I flinch, startled.

"I-It was you from the beginning! You put my name in the goblet of fire, you bewitched Krum!" Harry exclaims, and I'm shocked. Moody put a spell on Krum in the maze? That explains everything, from the dazed look in his eyes to what he told me about the game.

"You won because I made it so, Potter. You ended up in that graveyard because it was meant to be so. Now the deed is done!" Moody says. Suddenly, he grabs Harry's arm, and I gasp when I see there's a large gash, blood spilling from it.

"The blood that runs through these veins runs within the Dark Lord." He adds, and I'm disgusted when he takes blood on his hand and licks it. What the hell was going on?!

"Imagine how proud he would be if I handed him The Boy Who Lived, and a powerful weapon as an extra gift!" He says, eyes turning to me now. Crap.

"W-What the hell do you mean?" I ask him, still beyond confusion. He walks closer to me, and I shiver in disgust at the creepy look in his eyes. He looks like a crazy person.

"You see, I never really noticed anything about you in class, except that you were powerful. I just didn't know how powerful. Your sweet friend Igor told me all about your powers, and we devised a plan to lure you in as well. And you fell so, so easily. First, you fell for the Prince's charm, and then for Igor's fatherly kindness. The Dark Lord will be pleased with such a powerful force to join his ranks." Moody says, taunting me. My heart breaks right then and there. When I look over to Igor and Niklaus, there's no remorse whatsoever, they're simply enjoying it. Tears well up in my eyes at that.

"N-Niklaus… is this true? Igor?" I bring out, hoping that somehow, this wasn't real.

"You are my insurance that The Dark Lord won't hurt me. As I said before, don't take it personal." Igor says, and Niklaus chuckles at it. I couldn't believe this. Everything was a lie.

"Aw, are you crying? You're so naïve." Moody scowls, and I let out a sob. All I could do was feel my heart shatter into pieces.

"Now, back to more important business. The girl can live, since we need her, but you? Imagine how he would reward me, when he learns, that I have for once and for all, silenced the great Harry Potter!" He exclaims, and then he raises his wand at Harry.

"NO!" I shout.

"Expelliarmus!" The door blasts open, sending Moody flying through the air. Dumbledore storms in, followed by Snape and McGonagall. Before Igor and Niklaus can react, Snape has already disarmed the both of them, a furious look in his eyes. A wave of McGonagall's wand follows, and then they are tied up themselves.

"Severus, quickly!" Dumbledore exclaims, and Snape pours a potion into Moody's mouth as Dumbledore forces it open. After that, Snape hurries over to me, untying me, and then Harry. His dark eyes meet mine for a second, and I realize this was exactly what he'd been trying to warn me about. I pull my arms in front of me and hiss at the pain in my wrists, beginning to rub them.

"Do you know who I am?" Dumbledore asks, sounding angry.

"Albus Dumbledore." Moody spits out.

"Are you Alastor Moody? Are you?!" He continues, and I realize that the potion must be Veritaserum.

"No." Moody, well, not Moody, grits, clearly against his will.

"Is he in this room?"

Not Moody doesn't say anything, but his eyes dart over to the big chest I hadn't even noticed before. Dumbledore rushes over to it, and Snape unlocks the thing. Compartments slide open, making loud noises.

"You alright, Alastor?" Dumbledore calls out, and I realize he must be down there. Poor Moody.

"I'm sorry, Albus!" A voice calls back. I turn to look at Harry, who seems as clueless as I am.

"Well, if that's Moody, than who's…?" Harry asks. Snape grabs the flask from the desk and sniffs it.

"Polyjuice potion." He states, obviously less than pleased.

"Now we know who's been stealing from your storage, Severus." Dumbledore says, and when Snape turns to look at me, I realize that he now knows I didn't take the Gillyweed. Then, Moody begins to make weird noises, and his face slowly begins to transform. He must have taken the potion too long ago. Horrified, I watch as he transforms into a guy I've never seen before. Dumbledore, however, does.

"Barty Crouch Jr." He says, watching the man.

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours." Barty , and then he pulls his sleeve up to reveal the Dark Mark. I gasp softly, but am even more shocked when Dumbledore does the same with Harry, and the blood is now shaped like the Dark Mark.

"You know what this means, don't you? He's back. Lord Voldemort has returned."

I freeze up at those words. So Harry had been right. Voldemort was back.

"I'm sorry Sir, I couldn't stop him." Harry explains.

"Send an owl to Azkaban. I'm sure they'll find they're missing a prisoner." Dumbledore says, stepping away from the criminal.

"What about these two? I will happily escort them to Azkaban myself." Snape speaks up, a deadly look on his face as he eyes Niklaus and Igor with disgust. My heart hurts when I look at them, and I quickly look away.

"Send them along with him. They can await their trial in Azkaban." Dumbledore says, and then he grabs Harry and escorts him out of the room.

"You take the girl with you, Severus." McGonagall says, eyeing me with worry. Snape nods, and he's incredibly gentle when he helps me stand up. I'm a little wobbly on my feet, still in shock from what happened, and he wraps an arm around my waist, supporting me. I halt, turning to face Igor and Niklaus.

"You are disgusting. I never want to see your faces again. I hope you rot away in Azkaban, you surely deserve it." I state, and as he helps me out of the room, I allow the tears to fall silently. His arm is wrapped tightly around my waist, mine draped loosely over his shoulders, as he supports most of my weight. Everything after that is a blur.


End file.
